Plus wo Minus 2
by Lynnryo
Summary: Envy is back and he has a score to settle. But where's Ed? Why, in Xing, of course!
1. One

A/N: YAY! The second part of Plus wo Minus is here! Maybe I'll actually finish this series! .-. for some reason though, I highly doubt it. Oh, and apparently, my USB thing wants to RULE THE WORLD! Er .. Yeah, whenever I have the stupid thing in my hand, I have to .. Er .. Slide the, uhm, thing ... Yeah, I'm not going to finish that because I have no way of describing it without it sounding dirty.

Disclaimer: Arakawa-sensei owns t3h FullMetal series, not me. The plot was concocted in my head, though, so I suppose that's mine. However, we could also suppose that someone else was controlling me, thus the idea wouldn't really be mine then. But, if you're being controlled, wouldn't you be able to think these things up for yourself? Well, unless they had control over your thoughts too. Then that means that the plot is no longer mine.

---

Envy watched Edward from a distance. It didn't matter how he felt about the situation. Oh no, not at all. It was _his_ fault for letting the boy escape, so it should have been _him_ that had to take the blame. But no, it was Envy who was penalized, who had to watch the little alchemist prodigy.

It angered Envy to no end.

He sat alone, disguised as an elderly woman, trying to stomach the bland food he'd bought at the little cafe down the road. He stared openly at the young boy with blond hair which had been tied back into a ponytail, rather than his customary braid. For a moment, Envy wondered why the boy had opted to leave his jacket behind, in the hotel room.

With a smirk not suited for the fragile old lady he took the form of, Envy stood and silently followed the youth. As the boy trudged down the muddy streets, Envy couldn't help but notice the small limp he continued to try and hide. Silently, the homunculus laughed at the damage he'd done.

After a few minutes, Edward started to glance around him more and more frequently. The green-haired man supposed the little alchemist had figured he was being followed. Despite knowing this, Envy continued to wear the face of a kind old lady who's face was twisted and contorted with unfathomable rage and indignity, following the young boy as he made his way to the train station to see off his childhood friend, Winry Rockbell.

By the time Edward had wished his mechanic farewell, Envy had bought a ticket to Resembool on impulse. He abandoned his task of following Edward to chase after the little slut he believed had planned and executed 'the escape'.

---

Envy rode the train in silence. More than once, the little girl sitting across from him tried to strike up conversation, but Envy blatantly ignored her.

By the time the train reached Resembool, Envy was more than simply _annoyed._ He was downright _pissed off._

The enraged homunculi followed the blond girl off the train and platform before slipping into the bushes to lay low for a while. He followed the girl with his eyes until she disappeared into the heart of the small village-community named Resembool.

When the homunculus could no longer keep tabs on the young lady, he sat down against a large tree to wait for the sun to set.

---

_Seven and a half days,_ raged Envy mentally, _seven and a half fucking days and not once has she been left alone._

The homunculus wore the guise of an Amestris backpacker, newly released from the military because of his 'shell-shock' syndrome. He pretended to ask for directions to the Rockbell's house along the way as not to seem too suspicious. He'd been though the town more than a few times - each time wearing a different face - but it never hurt to be cautious.

He knocked on the open door, calling out "Hello? Can I come in?"

An old woman poked her her head into the living room - Envy had invited himself in - with a polite smile. "Can I help you?" she asked, shuffling in to greet the homunculi.

"Uh, yeah. Is there a Winry Rockbell around here? A friend of hers asked me to drop something off on my way through Resembool," replied the man in a cheery tone.

"Yes," replied the old lady, "she is. I'm Pinako, by the way. You are ...?"

Envy tried to smile politely while he answered, "Jerry Hogar."

The old lady told 'Jerry' to wait while she went upstairs to fetch her granddaughter. Envy nodded ever-so-politely, and stood where he was, waiting anxiously.

When Pinako returned with the young blond girl, Envy asked if Winry had the time to take a quick walk with him.

---

With a large and slightly demented grin, Envy silently waited on the lawn, where the young Rockbell had told him to wait. In the pale moonlight, the homunculi's skin seemed to glow, even though he was still pretending to be the backpacker.

Winry slipped out the door and waved to the man waiting for her. Envy waved back, letting his tell-tale grin slip off his face, replaced with a more pleasant look. He swept a hand through the short, spiked brown hair on his head and fell into step with the younger lady. As soon as they were far enough from the house, Envy asked with false concern if her grandmother would mind if she was out and about at such a time.

It was then that Winry tentatively explained to the homunculus that she'd recently been through a traumatizing event and her grandmother knew very well that she had a tendency to talk late-night walks. It was her way of coping.

"So, what was it that was so traumatizing? if you don't mind me asking ..." Envy's masked his murderous excitement well as he and Winry slowly made their way down to the river.

With a soft laugh that sounded to Envy like nails on a chalkboard, she replied, "Well, I guess I could tell you a _little_ ..."

With a fake smile, Envy replied, "Talking helps, you know ... It really does."

"Thanks," mumbled Winry, standing with her back to Envy on the river bank. After a few moments of silence, Winry began to tell 'Jerry' what had happened, omitting quite a few rather significant things and speaking slowly, as if it pained her to remember. Frequently, she'd lapse into an uneasy silence as they walked.

By the time she'd finished telling the man about how she had tried to get Edward to drink his milk, they had wandered nearly three miles up the river.

"Heh ... And then the guy piped up and Edward ... He ..." With a sigh, Winry turned back to Jerry. They had long ago passed into the mountains, and were picking their way around the treacherously fast river water. "I bet you're getting bored ... We should head back."

Jerry shook his head, a strange glint in his eyes. "What did Edward do?"

Winry smiled and said, "He went stiff as a board, even though all the guy said was--"

Envy cut in over Winry's voice, imitating his own voice as he remembered, "--'Why not, Edward?'"

Winry's voice died in her throat and her eyes widened in fear.

"And then," continued Envy, shifting into the form he was most comfortable with - his 'palm-tree' form - "Edward said, 'I don't like it.'"

Winry's head shook violently, and her body trembled. She tried to take a horrified step backwards and nearly slipped. Envy caught hold of Winry's wrist before she could plunge head-first into the black waters that rushed by their ankles so swiftly.

"No!" Screeched Winry, struggling to free her wrist from the Sin.

"Then I handed you the food tray and sat in between his knees. The look on his face was priceless! He looked so _terrified_ I almost killed him right then and there - with you watching! Wouldn't that have been _fun_!" Roared the homunculus over the river.

Tears streamed down her face as her body was wracked with sobs. Envy pulled the thrashing girl to his chest and held her tight as he stepped into the icy water.

"Do you remember what I said after that, you little slut?" asked Envy in a soft voice, his mouth close to her ear so she could hear him.

"N-no .. Let me go," she howled over the sound of the river that had swelled because of the spring floods, "Leave me alone!"

With a chuckle, the Sin shook his head, wading deeper into the freezing water, dragging the girl with him. "Answer me or I'll dunk you under."

Winry shook her head again, choking back another pathetic scream as Envy let go of her body to grab hold of her hair.

"_Answer me!_" Roared the Sin, shoving her face towards the rushing river, pausing a few scant centimeters above the black waters.

"I-I don't remember," cried the girl, clinging to Envy's forearm. With a snarl, Envy pushed her face closer to the water.

"Think harder, then! I'll give you three seconds," screamed the homunculus angrily.

With a sob, Winry shook her head, trying weakly to free her golden locks from the death grip the emerald-haired man.

"Three," crooned Envy, leaning down to speak in a softer tone of voice, "two."

"Please ..." moaned Winry, terrified and knee-deep in the rushing water, "I don't know!"

"One," whispered the Sin before he shoved the girl's face under, counting to five before pulling her back out. "Still don't remember?"

The girl coughed hard, shaking her head and fighting to keep her legs under her. She hardly had taken a full breath of air before Envy pushed her head under once more. When he pulled the girl up a second time, her knees gave out and she tried to cling to the Sin, but he just pushed her head in a third time.

As Envy pulled her out for a third gulp of air, she managed to cough out, "S-stop! I .. I remember!" A smile graced the Sin's face and he crouched in the water.

"Do you, now?"

Winry nodded, coughing so hard she was nearly having convulsions. When she could speak again, she muttered hoarsely, "'Y-you .. You don't have to .. Drink the milk' ..."

With an insane grin, Envy made a buzzer noise. "Wrong," he said gleefully. Winry's eyes snapped up to plead with the Sin and she opened her mouth to protest but the magenta-eyed homunculi shoved her head under for a fourth time.

He counted to ten and removed her face from the icy water, chuckling softly as she sputtered pathetically.

Envy continued to force the blond girl under the water, each time increasing how long she was plunged under the surface for. When she had little strength left, Envy picked her up and waded into the water until he was waist-deep. She moaned softly to protest before the Sin hoisted her above his head and threw her into the center of the swollen river.

With one last colossal effort, she managed to let out an ear-splitting scream before she fell under the surface of the river for the last time.


	2. Two

A/N: I'm a terrible person. Yay! And, HOORAY FOR PLOT! There's actually a thicker plot in this one. I hope the story ends soon though. Or else I'll go insane. Seriously.

Disclaimers: Arakawa-sensei owns FullMetal Alchemist, not me. I do own my imagination though! Er, unless terrorists attack and succeed in taking over my imagination.

---

With a small spring in his step, Envy strode towards the underground lair that Father dwelled in. He felt quite elated that he'd managed to snuff out the pathetic life that was Winry Rockbell, however small an accomplishment it was. As he bypassed the security system - little more than a few hundred chimera's - his mood suddenly changed.

Something told him that Father was in a very bad mood.

---

Six Months Later

---

Edward Elric strode down the death-filled streets of a small town in Xing. No one traveled with the alchemist, not even his younger brother. Edward had long since distanced himself from everyone who was close to him.

Loosing Winry six months previously had dealt a considerable blow to the young man's psychological state of mind. He no longer felt the need to get close to anyone. He would only end up getting hurt again.

As his boots echoed off the packed dirt road, something up ahead stirred. It was a young girl, dressed only in rags. She crawled into the boy's path and held up a pleading hand, begging for some kind of handout from the foreign boy.

"Buzz off and get out of my way," growled the blond boy, roughly shoving the girl out of his path. She fell to the ground silently, seemingly unfazed by his harsh treatment.

His footsteps slowed as he reached the small building that was the makeshift military outpost. He knocked twice and the peephole opened up briefly.

"State your name and the pass code," droned the voice as if bored with asking the same thing over and over again.

"Edward Elric, sir. The pass code's 'exorcist'," replied the alchemist, saluting the man on the other side.

When the door swung open, Edward quickly slipped inside, greeted by a clap on the shoulder from his commanding officer, Roy Mustang.

"Good work, soldier. You actually remembered the pass this time!" Chortled the Colonel.

Without a word, Ed rummaged through his coat and pulled out a small sheaf of papers. He tossed them to Roy and proceeded to where Second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye slept sprawled out across the ratty old futons the small unit had been given.

Sighing dejectedly, Edward sat down on an unoccupied spot on the futon and asked, "Where's the other one? What's her face?"

Roy chuckled softly to himself. "You mean Tii Len? She's gone out to get us some food," replied the Colonel, sitting up against the wall beside Ed and Hawkeye. "By the way, you should be nicer to her. She is, after all, our interpreter. And with they way things are, if she leaves we aren't likely to get another one."

Edward scoffed, combing his fingers through his tangled locks of golden hair. "You're the one that keeps hitting on her, pervert."

"Hey, I can't help it if she has great legs! And it's not _me_ that picks her outfits!"

Just then, a soft knock sounded from the door. With a sigh, Roy stood up once more and repeated the drill; "Name and pass code?"

From where Edward sat, he heard the soft, Xing-accented voice reply, "It's Tii Len, commander. 'Exorcist'." The person on the other side had to struggle with the pass code, trying to wrap her tongue around the foreign word properly.

Roy chuckled as he swung open the door, revealing the source of the voice. She stepped inside, both her arms piled high with paper bags full of food. She set them down on the boxes that served as a table and shook off her ratty old coat, revealing a slightly curvy body dressed in cotton shorts that hardly reached her knees, and a traditional Xing styled top.

With a whistle, Roy surveyed the mound of groceries. "How much did that all cost?" He asked, slightly amazed. The price of food in the smaller communities had been super inflated, forcing many families into the streets to fend for themselves.

Tii Len brushed her fingers though her short hair nervously. "The same it always costs, commander. There was a sale," with a smile, the girl - no older than sixteen and only six months older than Edward - upended a bag, dumping out it's contents.

She held out the small hand-written receipt that tumbled onto the table to Roy, who took it and read it himself. "Good work!" He praised with a beaming smile. No doubt he was thinking of all the food he would be able to hoard.

Still smiling, she plopped down beside Edward, pulling up her bare knees so she could rest her chin on them. "Hello Edward Elric," she said politely.

Edward replied with a noncommittal grunt, leaning sideways against the wall. Tii Len opened her mouth to say something more when the siren's went off. There was going to be another attack from Northern Xing on the small town.

The young blond alchemist bolted into a standing position and, with the help of the little interpreter, carried the bags of food into the underground bomb shelter as Roy woke Riza. Just as the colonel shut the metal doors, a deafening roar could be heard. The first assault had begun.

"Thank god for those sirens ..." muttered Roy as he slid the steel bolt into place, rushing down the stairs after the rest of the small unit - they had been sent into the heart of the newly developed Xing war as an intelligence gathering team. The siren system was actually an ingenious system, founded by the old Emperor, to tell the citizens of any given town or city of an attack. Many owed their lives to that system.

The four-man team sat huddled in the cramped cellar as another bomb was set off, this time a lot closer. Edward's eyes were wide with fear in the dark, Tii Len sat curled against Ed with her hands over her ears, and Roy clung to the dazed Riza, frightened. Never had the bombs been so close to their little building.

After a quick succession of bombs, there was a long pause of silence, one of which there was no sound except the ragged breathing of the four crammed together. Colonel Roy Mustang took that moment of silence to mutter, "I think it may be over," but just as the words left his mouth, another bomb exploded. This time, it was right over their heads.

---

_Drip._

_Drip._

_Drip._

The sound of dripping water alone was enough to drive a person mad. Envy had to listen to it day in and day out, for the last month. Father had finally began to forgive him for loosing track of Edward Elric. If the homunculus was lucky, he'd be free by the end of the week. Not once since the day Envy returned from Resembool had Father spoken to him directly.

The first and last thing he said to Envy was, "He's gone."

Since then, he'd had Pride speak to Envy in his place. He'd even had Pride string him up not unlike what he'd done with Greed when he failed. But Envy was Father's favorite. Father would never destroy him.

He hoped.

As Envy hung from the wall, pierced from front to back by long spears of splintering wood in certain strategic spots, there came a knock on the door to the room he was kept in.

Without waiting for an answer, Pride cracked open the door. "Father said he's coming to see you. Be ready."

And with that, he was gone. Envy smiled and lifted his head a little. Finally, his wishes were being answered.

---

Fuhrer President King Bradley sat at the head of a long desk, listening intently to the battle reports from his underlings. One by one, they each relayed the same information; Northern Xing was using a new kind of weapon, one that could launch bombs and missiles anywhere between thirty and ninety feet into the air. Each and every one of the men sitting in front of him could not tell him something he did not already know. He turned to the last man, expecting the hear the same thing he'd heard over and over again.

Instead, the man informed Bradley that Northern Xing was not only winning the war, they were destroying everything. Ever since the Emperor had died, there had not been a moment of peace in Xing as clans fought each other for the throne. In the last month, eight Emperors had been assassinated. Xing was in utter chaos.

With an exhausted sigh, Bradley dismissed the people around the table, standing himself. He strode from the room in what looked like a hurry. When he was safely behind his closed office door, he began to talk aloud with himself. It was his way of working out problems - someone had suggested it to him two months prior and, since he found it actually helped him, he'd been talking to himself a lot since.

He had hardly begun when the shrill cry of the telephone stopped him in his tracks. He stared at the phone murderously for interrupting him, but picked up the line anyways. "Hello?" He asked. There was a long pause before the Fuhrer replaced the headset on the cradle.

With an uncharacteristic curse, President Bradley left his office.


	3. Three

A/N: I have _way_ too much fun writing this ... Any suggestions on how the story ends up? I might take into account you're input. Maybe. If I run out of ideas.

Disclaimer: Arakawa-sensei owns FullMetal Alchemist, not me. Tii Len is my own character though.

---

With much creaking of joints and muscles and tendons that hadn't been used in nearly six months, Envy stretched with a wince. He turned his head to Pride, who stood in the shadows, waiting for the green-haired Sin to leave. Since the homunculus was feeling good about being let out, he winked at Pride and skipped out of the room, heading directly for the streets above.

He blinked in the sunlight, feeling blind. He stood in the deserted alleyway for nearly five minutes, trying to get used to the sunlight. When it became apparent that he was not getting used to the light from above ground, Envy sighed and, shading his eyes, sauntered into the streets.

It took the homunculus a good two hours before he could locate the train station. He shifted into a pretty young red headed lady and bought a ticket to some backwaters town in the east. His trip took him nearly two days to complete because the train nearly ran off it's tracks and the passengers had to wait for the train to be towed back for repairs and for a new train to pick them up.

By the time Envy had reached his destination, he was about ready to rip someone's head off. Literally.

Whatever bad mood the Sin was in, however, had to wait while he smiled and nodded and bought a ticket to a small city in southern Xing. It was only twenty miles from the city Father had informed Envy that Edward had been assigned to.

---

There was a great silence blanketing the area as fires all throughout the town smoldered and flared back to life. It was as if all the sound had been sucked from the area. Envy surveyed the area with a weary eye, dressed in traditional Xing clothing. His emerald hair swayed in a heavy wind, one filled with the stench of death and decay.

With a sigh, the Sin stepped forward, over a still-smoldering pile of rubble. As he searched the ruins half-heartedly, he thought out loud to himself, "I wonder if the little brat is still alive after all this ..?"

It was then that his magenta eyes spotted what looked like a metal cellar door.

_That's odd_, thought Envy as he stepped closer. _A _metal_ door?_

He tapped on the metal with his foot. It made a dull _thunk_, meaning that it wasn't hollow. With a grin, the homunculus kneeled down and pushed demolished brick and stone and various other pieces of shrapnel out of the way before wedging his fingers in the small gap the door had from the large dents and scratches that had been left from the concussion of a large explosion.

Even with a four-inch steel door between the blast and whoever was inside, the pressure was enough to knock a man out cold for a long time.

With a small grunt of effort, the Sin pried open the doors, bending the steel bolt out of place with his seldom-used superhuman strength. As the metal protested against it's new change in shape with much squealing and snarling, there was a small voice from inside what appeared to be a bomb shelter.

The doors burst apart and nearly ripped off their hinges when Envy gave one last heave, using the momentum to stand. As the dust he'd kicked up cleared away, the magenta-eyed homunculus first spotted a young girl. Probably Edward's age, if not a little bit older.

She spoke something up to the Sin desperately in her native tongue. Envy cocked his head to the side, not understanding. "Huh? Speak English, kid. I don't understand your Xing-ish, or whatever it is you freaks speak here."

The girl tried to scramble up the battered staircase as she replied in English, "Help! There's injured soldiers in here!"

Envy offered her a hand, pulling her out of the cellar in an uncharacteristic show of courtesy. "What's your name and who're the ones injured?" He asked.

"M-my name's Tii Len," she spoke fast and animatedly,"and inside are Colonel Roy Mustang, Second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye and--"

"Alchemist Edward Elric, right?"

---

The sky shone with dozens upon dozens of little jewels embedded in the velvety silk that was the night-time heavens. The waning crescent moon helped cast long, silvery shadows that seemed almost ghostly. The brilliant Amestris night sky was reflected off a solitary suit of armour, sitting against a large orange rock.

He'd been in Rush Valley for almost three months, when Edward had asked his younger brother to leave Xing because of the bombings. Al had been reluctant to part with his brother. Until the big fight they'd had. Alphonse didn't care anymore if his brother got hurt while across the Great Desert.

But he _did_ care if he got killed. His big brother was tough enough that a few scratches or bruises or broken bones wouldn't keep him down. However, if Edward _died_ ...

The suit of armour stirred His joints creaked and his head jerked upwards, and a small, surprised squeak of fear emanated from where his vocal cords would be - if he had some.

"Ed ..." he muttered in a tight voice. If suits of armour could cry, his face would be soaked with tears. Alphonse had just witnessed his brother go through a brutal bombing assault. "J-just a dream ..." whispered Al, trying to console himself.

Little did the younger Elric brother realize that what he'd seen was, indeed, what Edward had gone through.

The bond between the two brothers ran deeper than they ever imagined.

---

The murmur of voices rose and fell gently, like the swelling of calm ocean. People shuffled by and things were dropped. Screams of pure, raw agony occasionally tore out of the throat of the bombing victims.

All these noises passed by the young blond alchemist, never to be heard by him. Edward sat upon a cot, his numerous cuts and small burns bandaged up. His eyes were vacant and glassy. He was too deeply in shock to even realize that the one person who'd ruined his life was standing only five feet away from him.

As Envy conversed with the young nurse about the alchemists condition, four more victims of he bombing were brought into the old school.

Colonel Roy Mustang pushed himself off his own cot, ignoring the volunteer nurse's exhausted pleas for him to remain where he was. Roy passed by the Sin cautiously, extreme mistrust nad enmity etched into every line of his face. Just as he passed Envy, Roy caught the tail end of their conversation.

" ... So he's unable to hear now?" Asked the Sin.

"Yes, and he's in shock too, so it would be wise not to move him for a while," replied the nurse, her voice heavy with the southern Xing accent.

Roy stopped in his tracks. "Edward .. Is _deaf_?" He asked aloud, disbelief creeping into his voice.

The young nurse glanced between the strange emerald-haired man and the Colonel briefly before skittering off to tend to her other patients.

"Yeah," replied Envy grimly, "Edo-kun is deaf." The Sin slowly approached the cot the boy sat on while he stared into the distance. He lifted his hand and reached forwards, hesitating before gently touching the blond's shoulder.

Ed didn't move a muscle at the icy touch from the homunculus. His golden eyes continued to see nothing and everything. Roy watched, astonished, as Envy sighed and looked to the floor, concern gracing his feminine features.

"You should be resting," mumbled the homunculus, "Colonel."

Roy shook his head, apprehensively stepping forward to stand next to Envy. "He's _my_ responsibility. _You're_ presence here is probably not helping," sneered Roy, possessed by a sudden surge of anger towards the magenta-eyed man. "After all," he added, "_You_ are the one that ruined his _life_, Envy."

"Fine," spat the Sin, glaring daggers at the Colonel, "I'll go." As the homunculus turned to leave, he said in a more gentle tone, "Even though _I_ was the one to save all you're asses. Remember who it was that dug you out of the rubble, Colonel."

Roy stared, stunned, as the back of the homunculus disappeared into a never ending sea of the injured and dying.


	4. Four

A/N: Whoo! I'm not dead! Over the holiday's my email has started working again (HOORAH!) and I started a new story (an original, not going to post it, ever). On to the stuff relating to this chapter ...

I have plans for Alphonse, that's why he's got parts in t3h story. Hmm .. Maybe my next A/N will be in 1337? Since I'm that cool :p Well, whatever, enjoy the chapter (if anyone even reads these). Also, I'm sorry for the weird breakers. I only have WordPad on my laptop, and I don't feel like going through every chapter and changing them. So, again, sorry.

Disclaimer: Arakawa-sensei owns FullMetal Alchemist, not me. Tii Len is my own character though.

---

The moon shone brightly over the bloody battle fields of Xing, where explosions and gunshots and anguished cry's sang like a sick orchestra. The dirt was stained crimson and the air stank of death.

Was this the fate of the rest of the world? How many lives would be lost? How many would have to suffer?

These were some of the questions rushing around the mind of a lone figure, seated by a muddy river outside the devastated town of Mun-Ling. His pale skin reflected the tainted moonlight reflected off the water, saturated with innocent blood.

His knees were drawn to his chest and his head buried in the crook of his elbow. Emerald hair turned mud-coloured by the ever-raging fires of war fanned out around the man, draping his body like a blanket.

The flickering flames made he man look almost as if he were crying. No matter how badly hurt the Sin had ever been, never had he cried. But the words the Colonel had spoken had hurt the Sin more than any physical wound ever had. When Roy said that Envy had ruined Ed's life, he'd felt a physical pain in his chest, and it confused him. Why was he feeling so terrible for breaking the boy? Why did he feel the need to help him?

Without ever realizing it, Envy had grown attached to the little blond alchemist, Edward Elric.

---

Two days in the makeshift hospital and Edward finally got kicked out. Luckily, he'd gotten over his shock and now 'talked' with others almost like he used to. But the world of silence frightened him.

While in the company of others, Edward would pretend to be outgoing and optimistic. He acted like losing his hearing did not affect him. However, deep down, he became envious and self-pitying.

Never did the blond boy even consider who had saved him.

---

A strong wind buffeted the already battered town. Nearly every tall building had been blown apart and levelled, but Envy had found the perfect vantage spot. He watched as a young man wound his way through he rubble-strewn streets of Mun-Ling.

"Don't turn left, Edo-kun," muttered the Sin as he crept forward along the roof. A smile plastered itself on the Sin's face as Edward turned right, heading straight into a dead end. With one effortless leap, the emerald-haired homunculi landed silently ten feet behind the alchemist.

Edward sighed and spun around, having not heard the soft _whoosh_ of air that denoted the entrance of a certain someone. When he caught sight of Envy, he froze like a frightened rabbit that'd just spotted a wolf. Ed's eyes went wide and s breath caught in his throat as terror gripped him.

Envy reached into the pocket of h tattered jacket. Alarmed, Edward took a step back. His arms flew up and pin wheeled as his booted foot snagged a broken chunk of what used to be a wall. With cat-like reflexes, the homunculus lunged forward and caught the boy before he could brain himself on the various sharp objects that littered the ground. A strangled cry of fear tore from the alchemist and he struggled fervently against the hold the homunculus had on him.

A short growl erupted from Envy's throat and he dropped the boy on his ass. From his pocket he retrieved an abused pad of paper and a stub of a pencil. As Edward picked himself off the ground, Envy scribbled something down and thrust the paper at the boy. Apprehensively, Edward took the paper.

_I'm sorry,_ It read.

Edward re-read it before whispering in a cracked voice, "Wh-what?"

Again, Envy jotted something down and handed the paper to Ed.

_For surprising you._

Envy grinned at the boy, then wrote another note.

_I was the one who rescued you Edo-kun_, it read, _Are you well?_

With a glare, Ed snarled, "No! I'm _deaf_ if you hadn't noticed!"

_I know someone who could fix you_, wrote the Sin with a mischievous look in his eyes, _if you come with me across the great desert, I'll get him to get your hearing back._

Edward fell silent upon reading the note. For a long time, all Edward did was glare at Envy, unable to decide if he could trust the homunculus.

"I'll think about it," Edward replied.

---

All the way across the Great Desert, someone told Alphonse Elric the same thing his brother told Envy.

"I'll think about it," said Paninya.

"Thanks," replied Al, waving a quick farewell to his friend.

As his heavy-yet-hollow footsteps were drowned out by the large crowds of Rush Valley, Al felt an unexpected wave of elation and confusion that stopped him in his tracks. For almost a full minute, Alphonse stood in the noon-time sun, feeling for all the world like the loneliest person on earth.

Acting as if nothing had happened, Alphonse continued to walk toward the south end of Rush Valley. Before he could reach the gate, however, a wave of fear coursed through the body that Alphonse did not have.

To the younger Elric, these seemingly random and strange phenomenons were normal. It never occurred to him that he had begun to feel emotions that were not his when he and his brother had parted ways.

---

The relentless Southern Xing sun beat down on the heads of the many homeless. The crippling heat and the distant sounds of gunshots was enough to drive a normal man crazy.

Colonel Roy Mustang was not a normal man, however. He sat on a hard wooden crate next to the cot second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye rested on. She didn't appear to be seriously injured, but only because her damage had been dealt inside. Roy had been informed that his subordinate had suffered internal bleeding and had a serious infection. No one knew what had caused her condition and the people of the Southern Xing states had a superstitious tendency. Therefore, they stayed well await from the dying woman.

The curtain separating the dying from the dead-men-walking parted with a soft _whoosh_ as another of Roy's subordinates entered. He barely glanced up at the sixteen year old girl who approached him. "How is she?" Asked Tii Len.

"Not good," replied the Colonel, "They said she has until sundown. _If_ that."

"Oh," muttered Tii Len, shifting uncomfortably, unaccustomed to the cool manner in which the Colonel spoke of the woman he obviously loved. After a moment of tense silence, Tii Len asked, "Are _you_ alright, Colonel?"

Roy didn't answer. Taking the hint, Tii Len left to give the man the time alone he needed.

As soon as the young girl was out of earshot, Roy leaned over Riza, whispering to her sleeping form, "I love you ... Please don't die on me, Hawkeye .. Riza ..." Roy only allowed a single tear to sip from his eye as he pleaded with the Gods he didn't believe in to spare his love's life.

Riza's mouth twitched and with laboured breathing she replied, "I love you too, Roy ... I promise you I won't die yet," before she fell below the surface of sleep once more.

---

Roy hadn't moved for nearly three hours, clutching Riza's icy hand as she struggled to take breath after breath, fighting for her life. all the young man could think of was how if Riza were to die, he'd surely kill himself in his grief.

Suddenly, the Second Lieutenant's breathing ceased. Death was upon her.

"No!" Screamed Roy desperately, "don't go, please!"

With a smile on her face, Second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye passed away in Colonel Roy Mustang's arms.

---

Even though the sun was high and the heat was enough to roast a bird, people wandered about the devastated Mun-Ling. Edward included.

The young alchemist was lost in thought as he sauntered along the body and rubble filled streets. He was thinking over Envy's proposal. he knew that he could _not_ trust the homunculus, especially after what he'd done to him. On the other hand, Ed would be able to hear again.

The boy stopped in his tracks, muttering, "Tii Len," without knowing. Springing into action, the boy snapped his fingers in revelation before racing down the street, heading for the old school that was being used as a hospital.

When Edward arrived at the makeshift hospital, the first thing he saw was his superior, Roy Mustang, sitting with his head bowed against the crumbling stone fence. Edward slowed his pace to a walk and, when he was sure Roy could hear his voice, asked, "what's wrong? Is Hawkeye okay?"

"No," said Roy, forgetting Edward couldn't hear him. He shook his head, pulling his knees to his chest, shoulders trembling with the effort of holding in his tears.

_She died_, he wrote in the dirt.

"Wh-what?" Stuttered the boy, frowning and crouching down to look into the Colonel's face. "When?" He asked.

_An hour ago_, replied Roy, turning his face from Ed's inquiring stare.

"I'm sorry ..." Said Edward, tentatively reaching forward and placing a comforting hand on Roy's shoulder.

Without warning, Roy pulled Edward into an embrace. The boy struggled half-heartedly for a few moments before giving up and returning the hug awkwardly, suppressing the fear that still hung over him from the terror Envy had inflicted upon him.

Colonel Mustang didn't release the boy for a long time. When he did, Roy wiped as his face and wrote, _sorry,_ in the dirt.

Ed shook his head, replying, "it's alright. I ... I understand." for a while after, the two sat in silence. Finally, Ed said, "I .. I going back. To Amestris."

Roy stared at the young blond boy, shocked. "Why?" He asked.

Reading the expression on his superior's face and recognizing the way his mouth moved, Ed replied, "To get my hearing back. E-Envy said that he knows someone who could help me. I'm taking Tii Len and if you want to come, come."

"I ... I can't go," replied Roy, shaking his head. _Good Luck_ he wrote in the dirt.

---

As the bloodied water rushed by, a pale digit skimmed the surface. A small trail of crimson ran down a paraffin-coloured arm, adding it's own colour to the pink-tinged river. A tongue darted out from between two perfect lips, lapping at the small droplets of blood that dotted his skin.

The finger that trailed the river water grew razor sharp before it was drawn against the porcelain skin, leaving a fat red line in it's wake. A small hiss of both pain and pleasure passed those lips. with a grin, Envy pressed his bleeding arm to his mouth, relishing the tangy taste of his own blood before the wound closed up again.

The Si sighed and wiped his mouth as he heard footsteps coming his way. He turned his head and sent Edward a not-so-menacing-and-creepy grin, which was more cause for alarm than anything.

"I'll go with you on one condition," said the boy. From behind Ed stepped a young girl, the one Envy recognized as the interpreter from the small info-gathering team Edward had been assigned to. "I'll go only if Tii Len can come."

The magenta-eyed Sin nodded, twiddling his fingers at the girl. "Welcome aboard," greeted the homunculus, chuckling softly.


	5. Five

A/N:Yeah, so, here I am again. And all you Roy fans, don't kill me. ;-;

I'm catching up to my notebook so updates will be slow from here on out. It's not like they were really that fast to begin with, but ... Just a warning. Also, there's a mistake somewhere in my story but I can't remember what it is - let alone _where _it is. Give me a shout if you find it for me so I can fix it.

Disclaimer: Arakawa-sensei owns FullMetal Alchemist, not me. Tii Len is my own character though. Nichole and Saruwatari are not mine, I think (they're my friends). And ... yeah, I think that's it for now.

---

Two days had passed since the Northern Xing army had attacked all major rail systems. Anything coming in and out of Xing was shot at, and the prospect of re-enforcements was slim to none. Southern Xing's chance for victory wasn't looking too good either.

Ever since the bombing assault on Mun-Ling, one of the major farming communities near the desert-belt, people had begun to call the town the 'town of corpses.'

When the Great Eastern War had began, the southern states of Xing had been dealing with it's own scraps and uprisings. When Northern Xing had taken advantage of its neighbours to the South.

First, they marched into the centre of Xing, sending all the heirs to the throne to try and organize a large-scale occupation of it's own country. When they realized that they couldn't agree on any one plan, each of the heirs claimed an area for attack.

And thus, the war began.

---

The Great Desert is a stretch of godforsaken sand, marking the border between Xing and Amestris. Crossing the desert on foot was comparable to committing suicide. Fewer than one out of every one hundred could say they'd successfully made it across the desert just by foot.

However, Edward was either fool enough or brave enough to attempt this trek. And on top of that, the young man had another person to look after. They had travelled for one night and one day so far, following the bloodied river from Mun-Ling. Tii Len had left early on that day to scout out the area and had not returned. Envy had gone on ahead.

Edward sat alone on the riverbank, half a mile upriver from the spot his enemy - Envy - had set up a small camp. The boy had begun to have his doubts about agreeing to cross the desert with the insane homunculus. Not being able to hear for the rest of his life was starting to sound much more appealing than having to spend almost a full fortnight with Envy having only his young translator for protection.

The young blond boy jumped to his feet in surprise an fear when he felt an icy hand on his shoulder. Whipping around, Edward's heart nearly stopped. Envy had snuck up behind him and was standing hardly a hand's breadth from him. Trying to distance himself from the Sin, Ed took a step back, into the bloodied river. Even without being able to hear, the alchemist could tell Envy was trying not to laugh in his face.

"What? Since I'm a _cripple_ now, you can't openly laugh at me?" Snarled Ed, "If you hadn't noticed, I was still a cripple seven months and two weeks ago!"

With a grin that mimicked the Cheshire cat from Alice In Wonderland, Envy shook his head. "Never mind," he said, mouthing the words so Ed could follow him, "You're too young to understand."

"Fuck you," replied Edward angrily, turning and wading through the river to get away from the Sin. With and indignant huff, Edward plopped down on the other shore, sopping wet from the waist down.

Trying to keep his face straight, Envy shrugged and mimicked Edward, sitting on the ground. The homunculus watched the water, noticing how uncomfortable Edward seemed when hesitated openly at the boy. For a long time - nearly an hour - neither moved, one afraid to anger the other.

Suddenly, Edward stood. He hesitated briefly before wading back across the river. Envy only glanced at the boy once, curious, before his gaze returned to the river. He sat only a few paces away from the Sin, trying to hide his slight shivering as he tried to soak up as much sunlight he could before it sunk below the horizon, the heat disappearing with it.

_Cold?_ Wrote Envy in the sand. When Edward nodded, slowly, Envy replied, _come here_.

"N-no," growled the boy with a vehement shake of his head.

_Wait here then,_ replied the magenta-eyed monster, standing.

"Fine," muttered Ed, drawing his soaking knees to his chest. Out of the corner of his eye, Edward watched the emerald-haired man leave. Without moving, the deaf boy waited patiently. Just when the alchemist believed Envy wasn't coming back, a blanket was draped over his shoulders. Surprised, Edward jerked violently, causing the warm cotton blanket to fall from his shoulders. Pulling the blanket back up, he muttered, "Th-thanks."

Envy crouched in front of Ed, writing, _Come, I know where there's fire and Tii Len is there._

"If I _wanted_ fire, I'd _make_ some," muttered the boy, standing to follow the Sin - at a distance.

---

Alphonse Elric decided he needed a change in scenery. He sat in the back of a trailer, isolated from the rest of the passengers. Ever since the rails had been destroyed, the min mode of cross-country transportation was trailers and buses. And they were _not_ cheap.

The trailer slowed, and curiously, Al poked his head over the rail. A young woman, about fifteen or so, stood at the side of the road with her hand outstretched and her thumb extended. She held a badly damaged cardboard box with 'ANYWHERE!' written on it, and a small travellers pack was at her feet. With a sigh, Al sat back down.

"Any room?" questioned the girl.

"In the back," chorused the driver and the other eight passengers crammed into and on top of the trailer.

"How much to get me to the next town?" she asked, dumping her sign and bag into the back, beside Al. Without listening to the reply, Al moved over to make room for the girl. When she hopped in, she smiled at the empty suit of armour warmly. "Hello. I'm Nichole, what's your name?" She asked, making herself comfortable.

"A-Alphonse," he replied.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the two. It was Nichole that broke it. "So, where are you heading?" She enquired curiously.

"Uh ... Nowhere, really," he replied, "just not here."

"Me too," said Nichole.

---

"Edward Elric! You have to meet this boy," said Tii Len, dragging Edward along by the wrist. "He knows Amestris Sign Language and he will teach for free!"

Dumbfounded, the young boy let himself be dragged around the small refugee-camp Tii Len had found during her scouting. Edward drew his black cotton blanket and ratty beige jacket tighter around his shoulders. He could feel the jealous stares of the others. Many of them hardly had clothes on their backs, let alone blankets.

To the boy's eternal relief, Envy had stayed behind, too engaged in the strange card game he'd joined in to care.

Tii Len stopped abruptly and, because he wasn't paying attention, Ed ran into her. "Sorry," he mumbled. The girl pointed to the boy she'd dragged Ed to see. The first thing Edward noticed was how young he looked. He couldn't be older than fifteen. Tii Len quickly wrote in the air in front of Ed's face, "He's Saruwatari, he'll teach you to speak with your hands."

Edward smiled politely, not fully understanding the situation. The other smiled back and made a gesture with his hands that only made to further confuse Edward. "What?" He asked.

The man went through the motion once more before turning to Tii Len. The girl nodded and proceeded to once more pull the confused blond boy through the camp, back towards Envy.

---

"I win," said an emerald-haired man dressed in traditional Xing clothing and a worn brown cloak draped over his feminine curves. The man flipped over his hand of cards, showing the faces to all the other men. So far, Envy had not yet lost a single round, despite the fact that he'd never played the game in his life before. Out of the corner of his eye, the Sin had seen Tii Len dragging Edward around, and now they were returning, this time with company.

The men around the rock they were using as a table grumbled and dealt another hand for a yet another round. Envy grinned broadly when he realized he'd gotten a good hand.

"Excuse me, Envy?" Asked Tii Len, standing a few paces from the one she addressed. Almost ten feet behind her stood Edward and the boy the two had brought with them.

"Nn," replied the homunculus, not entirely paying attention to the girl.

"Can Saruwatari come to Amestris?" She asked, a hopeful note in her voice. "He will teach us how to speak to Edward Elric with our hands!"

With an annoyed growl, Envy replied, "I know one," and lifted his middle finger rudely to the girl.

"What does that mean?" She asked, puzzled.

Envy flipped over his cards and punched the rock, shattering his portion of the table. With an angry snarl the homunculus turned to Tii Len. "You made me lose, you bitch!"

"M-My apologies," she sad, taking a step back, her arms held in a defensively stance.

Envy stood with a murderous gleam in his eye. Tii Len, sensing how the Sin's anger was getting the best of him, took a step back, only to have her foot catch on a rock and fall. Envy lifted his foot and was about to bring it down with enough force to crush the girl when a blond blur tackled him. Caught off guard in his blind rage, both fell to the ground, sending fragments of rock and clouds of sand into the air with the impact. Jumping into action, the little blond alchemist had the homunculus straddled and was beating on him with everything he had before Envy had time to comprehend what was happening.

Angrily, Envy bucked the boy off his hips, pinning the boy with his face in the sand. Edward struggled heatedly, trying with all his might to get the insane green-haired man off him. Envy twisted the boy's arms and pinning them to his back to free up one of his own hands. Then he quickly wrote Ed a message in the sand.

_Stop it, you stupid boy. I'll rip your arm out again if you don't calm down._

Immediately Edward went limp. His breathing was ragged as the tail end of his adrenaline rush caught up with him. "Bastard," he muttered under his breath. When Envy was sure Ed had calmed down enough, the homunculus stood, pulling the boy up with him. "N-no!" pretested the boy, once again struggling to get free.

"_You_," said Envy, pointing to Tii Len, "Stay here. Everyone else," the Sin turned to address the rest of the camp, "excuse us."

The Sin bowed and dragged the flailing boy to the very outskirts of the camp, where the firelight barely reached. He dumped the boy on his face unceremoniously. As soon as Envy had let go of the boy, he scramble to his feet and into a fighting stance.

"You've already lost," said Envy nonchalantly.

Edward lunged but Envy dodged easily. The Sin continued to dodge the blond's feverish attacks, even though his anger continued to boil.

"Fight me, you bastard!" Screamed Edward. Despite his urging, Envy remained unfazed.

Finally, Envy halted and let Edward land a bone-shattering kick to his ribs. With a chuckle, Envy said in a low voice, "my turn."

All he boy was able to do was clap his hands together before Envy's fist sunk into his gut. As if he weighed nothing, the blow sent Edward into the air. Before he could land, Envy kneed Ed in the chest, pushing the air from his lungs. When he finally hit the ground, he was near unconscious.

"Give up," Envy said, pushing Ed back into the ground with his foot when the blond tried to rise.

Tears streamed down Ed's face as he tried to draw breath into his abused lungs. "I hate you," he finally spat at the homunculus before rolling onto his side and having a coughing fit. Envy only watched as Edward struggled to breathe once more. When Envy was sure the boy wouldn't asphyxiate on his own tongue, Envy made himself scarce.

---

Even though Xing was generally hot, especially closer to the desert, when the sun set it could get as cold as just below freezing. To some, the col was a welcome relief to th relentless sun, but to others it was just as bad as the scalding heat of the day. To one man, however, it was just another thing to worry about.

The Flame Colonel stood next to the unlit funeral pyre constructed for Second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. He listened to the sounds of the night, seemingly without emotion. The man looked terrible and haggard as he stood under the bright moonlight, thoughts of the woman he still loved racing around his head. Finally, he whispered, "I'm sorry, Riza." With a snap of his gloved fingers, the funeral pyre was set ablaze. No matter which was he looked at the situation, all the Colonel could see was how terrible the world was, how cold it was, without Riza.

He had long ago made his decision.

Reaching into the fire to hold Riza's hand while her body was cremated, "how could such a microscopic little bug," he muttered, producing a knife from his pocket, "cause so much pain?" The Flame Colonel gripped Riza's hand tight as he drew the blade across his throat. His last thoughts were of his best friend and love as his life poured out into the sand. Soon, he too was engulfed in flames.


	6. Six

A/N: Bleh, my memory stinks. I thank all my readers for putting up with my ... Er, me-ness and all. And that mistake I made has something to do with the desert I think. Gods, I swear my brain is trying to re-organize itself and is loosing half the information in the process - thanks to my final exams. Yup, that's right, the term is over which means I never have to deal with my psychology teacher again! Unless he talks to me in the hall. . Shudders . 

Here's a random (but useful) tip: If you like to kill off characters in your stories, don't say "I like to kill people" when you're teacher is right behind you.

Onwards! FOREVER ONWARDS! _TO THE STORY, JIMMY!_

Disclaimer: Arakawa-sensei owns FullMetal Alchemist, not me. Tii Len is my own character though. Nichole and Saruwatari are not mine, I think (they're my friends). And ... yeah, I think that's it for now.

---

They had decided to follow the river. It wound along the ground like a giant snake and eventually the war-tainted water began to run clear once more. The reason they had followed the river in the first place was because it always pointed west. Towards Amestris.

What the small group didn't know was that only twelve miles west of Mun-Ling, the river took a sharp turn to the south. The four haggard travelers had stopped at the bend with a unanimous decision to wait until nightfall before continuing. The sun was only an hour away from rising and Saruwatari wished to teach them some basic sign language before they retired for the day.

Envy sat beside Tii Len, she beside Edward, Saruwatari sitting in front of them. So far, they had learned how to tell each other hello and good morning. The man - who hardly looked old enough to be _called_ a man - made a motion that, to Envy, looked like he was throwing up. Then he spoke something to Tii Len in his native tongue and she translated, both verbally and written.

_It means thank you_, she wrote, smiling at Ed.

With a grin, Ed motioned _thank you_ to his translator and to Tii Len.

Envy rolled his eyes at them. _They_ at least were having some fun. The sign language lesson continued until the sun rose and their fire died. Then, Ed transmuted the sand into a crude tent structure, where he draped his cotton blanket and Saruwatari's extra-large traveling cloak to form a shaded spot that barely fit three people.

The Sin was obviously _not_ invited.

With a dejected sigh, the magenta-eyed homunculus began to laboriously shovel away the coarse sand in an attempt to create some kind of semblance of a shelter from the merciless desert sun. It took Envy a whole of twenty minutes to dig a suitable hole in which he could sleep in relative comfort for the duration of the day. Using his own ratty cloak as a pillow, Envy curled up in the meek shade.

It didn't take Envy long to fall into a light snooze. Despite the sun, the Sin managed to rest most of the day. When he awoke the sun was just barely touching the horizon and when he sat up Envy noticed that there was a smallish, beat up cloak draped over him. Puzzled, the Sin turned it over, looking for some kind of clue as to who it belonged to. Realizing it was Edward's, Envy couldn't help but smile warmly. The inside of the right sleeve had traces of oil.

Envy was content to watch as the sun completed it's journey, dipping below the horizon and releasing the desert from it's glare, while wrapped in Edwards rough cloak.

---

The city of Dublin's unassuming size disguises the underground mazes, confusing back roads and rooftop streets. Alphonse and Edward knew the city well, having lived with their teacher for a number of years learning alchemy. Before the war, many people lived happily in this big city. But everyone knows that nothing stays the same for very long.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Alphonse Elric hoped that his old teacher still lived where he remembered. The empty suit of armour stood at the Curtis's door, feeling like he did so long ago. Beside him, though, wasn't Edward. This time it was Nichole who stood with him, the girl he'd met on the road.

"Maybe they moved?" suggested the girl.

"I hope not," replied Al, knocking once more. After a few moments, Al turned to leave. However, when he was only a few paces away, the door swung open.

"A-Alphonse?" asked a voice hoarse from sleep. When Al turned around, his former teacher fell into a violent coughing fit. It was apparent that her condition had steadily worsened since he'd last seen her.

"Sensei!" cried Al, rushing to Izumi's side.

"Are you alright?" asked Nichole, reaching the woman first.

When Izumi was finally able to control her coughing fit, she pushed Al and Nichole off her and invited them in. "Sit," she commanded, taking a seat herself. "Why are you here?" she asked once they had their buts firmly planted.

"Well ... I .. I want to continue to search for my body. _Without_ big brother."

Izumi stared at the boy for a long time. Then, she said abruptly, "I can't help you."

"Please?" piped up Nichole. "Can't you at least try?"

With a glare, Izumi shot back, "Shut up, whatever you're name is."

Under the woman's smoldering glare, Nichole replied, "I-it's Nichole ..."

"She's a friend, Sensei," rescued Al before Izumi could deal some serious harm to the bubbly girl's psyche.

After some extensive debate - AKA, Al pressuring his former teacher - his sensei finally gave in. She agreed to let the boy see her old notes on the gate - the one's she hadn't destroyed after her failed attempt to bring back her child - and to board the two children. But they were only allowed to stay until Izumi's husband returned from the errand she'd sent him on - he wasn't due back for another month.

She was going to help Al get his body back.

---

It was day seven. Seven whole days spent sleeping under the sun and traveling by the stars. Seven days spent with the infuriatingly deaf alchemist.

The bright desert moon blossomed over the sparkling desert, making each grain of sand look like tiny little diamonds and bathing he group of travelers in it's pale light, creating the illusion that they hadn't budged since they'd left the river behind. In fact, they had hardly crossed two miles a day which meant that they still had nearly fifty left before they were safely across Amestris boarders. It didn't help that every time they stopped to camp, they had to endure another sign language lesson - even though they had caught on so quick that they were communicating fluidly. By the end of the seventh day, Envy was well over his breaking point.

More than once, the homunculus had caught himself daydreaming about murdering the people around him as stress relief - and more than that he'd been tempted to follow through. The only good thing that Envy could see about the exhaustion that seemed to be bone-deep in everyone was that he and Edward hadn't fought since the incident at the refugee camp. Well, physically fought, anyways. There were plenty of times Envy saw Ed gawking at him and had confronted him about it. They had always ended up more angry and frustrated before, but they never exchanged blows.

It was the eighth day that Edward had collapsed from heat exhaustion.

'Why don't you make a cave?' asked Envy with his hands when Edward complained of the heat during the following night.

'Oh, right. Sure,' replied Ed from atop Saruwatari's back, 'I have enough energy to create a cave. If you hadn't motived Envy, I don't even have the energy to walk, let alone do a transmutation.'

'You can still 'talk'. That means you can clap your hands. Now quit complaining or else,' threatened the Sin, feeling anger welling up inside his chest again.

Edward sighed and asked Saruwatari to set him down - which the young man did. With an uncharacteristically unenthusiastic clap of his hands, Edward condensed the sand around them to form a cave that jutted from the ground. Then, the blond alchemist fainted from sheer exhaustion.

"You're terrible. Now he's unconscious," snapped Tii Len, hoisting Edward over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes as if he weighed nothing. She carried him inside the shelter the alchemist had created.

"Whatever, you bitch," replied Envy under his breath.

Tii Len set Edward down and spun on her heel to glare at the homunculus. "Why do you always insult us?" She was very obviously near tears.

Envy growled animalistically, "because you _humans_ aren't_ worthy_ of anything more."

With tears in her eyes, Tii Len screamed back, "well you are not perfect either, you monster!" Without another word, she knelt beside Edward, silent tears streaming down her face and her body trembling.

The Sin rolled his eyes, muttering, "stupid humans. You're all so fucking_ weak_," before turning and leaving, seeking the comfort he didn't deserve in the chilly night air. He didn't go far, however. He sat on the crest of the nearest sand dune, where he could see the cave Ed had made. Angrily, Envy drew his fingernail across his forearm. A fat line of blood followed in the wake of his nail as the skin tore open. With a sigh, the Sin felt as if all his tensions were flowing out of his body from the self-inflicted gash.

As he pressed the wound to his mouth, Envy realized that he was no longer healing as fast as he once had. He lapped at the blood thoughtfully, contemplating how Father would react if he found out about Envy's cutting habit and if Father would help his little regeneration problem.

While he was lost in his thoughts, Envy failed to notice that he had gathered company. A rough chuckle from behind the Sin snapped him out of his reverie in time to narrowly dodge the sword that would have impaled him through the chest. Envy cursed and stood to glare at the giant of a man.

The man spoke something in the same language Tii Len and Saruwatari had often conversed in. Seeing the homunculus's perplexed expression, the man said in his rumbling voice, in English, "Why is such pretty girl here in desert alone?"

It was then that Envy realized that he was surrounded. With a devilish grin, he replied, "Sorry to disappoint you gentlemen, but I'm no girl." The men around the homunculus laughed heartily. Including the man that had spoken, Envy counted twelve of them. It was obvious that they were desert raiders - people that lived to prey on weak oasis-villages and travelers - and barbarians.

Still chuckling, the man said coolly, "Then, we kill you." Without further warning, the entire ring of barbarian's lunged, thirsting for the blood of the man that mocked them.

Seemingly without effort, Envy leaped into the air, easily avoiding th blades of the raiders. Confused, they began to mindlessly hack and slash, disposing of half their men. With his arms crossed and an emotionless face, Envy whistled to capture their attention, wishing to relieve his frustrations on whomever was left.

Six men turned towards the Sin, blood spattered over their faces and hands. With an angry cry, they surged forward as one, weapons extended. One by one they fell, each of their hearts thrust out from their chests. The last man halted, realizing his comrades had fallen.

A laugh that bordered on hysterical tore free from the emerald-haired man's throat. He lapped a the warm blood that covered both arms up to his elbows. "Spare me," pleaded the man as Envy advanced, looking demonic dressed in the blood of the dead. Without a word, the blood lusting Sin tore off the man's head mercilessly. As blood poured into the sand, another hysterical laugh bubbled up from the homunculus and was absorbed by the silvery blanket that was the night.

---

When Edward awoke, the sun was just rising. The first thing he saw wa Envy, and he was all too close for Ed to be comfortable. The blond boy scrambled to sit up but Envy signed to him, 'relax.' Edward couldn't help but notice the dried blood that seemed to cover the Sin from head to toe.

'Where are they,' sighed Ed desperately, immediately thinking the worst.

'Sleeping,' replied Envy, a grin playing upon his pale lips when the blond alchemist drained of colour.

"Don't touch me," said Ed in a cracked voice that was just above a whisper and hoarse from disuse. The boy pushed himself as far away from the insane man as he could, his spine firmly pressed against the sandstone he'd created with his remaining energy.

'You need to rest,' signed Envy. When Ed shook his head Envy frowned. 'Yes,' he argued stubbornly.

'No, go away,' replied Edward, equally as unmoving as the sin. 'And don't change the subject,' he added as an afterthought.

'I didn't.' Envy chuckled softly and stood, staring at Edward arrogantly. '_They're_ resting, and so should you.'

"No!" retorted the blond. He shook his head vehemently, as if it would prove his point. When Envy stepped forward, suddenly possessed with an angry urge to maim the boy for his insolence, Edward instinctively cowered with his arms held over his head.

With a growl, Envy grabbed the alchemist's wrist and pulled him up so he was eye level. Edward peeked out from under his tightly closed eyelids in time to receive a punch in the face. Then, the Sin dropped the short blond boy.

Edward touched his cheek tenderly, wincing. 'What was that for?' signed the boy angrily.

'For being rude to me,' Replied Envy. With a grin that hinted at insanity, he added, 'maybe I should "teach" you some manners? Since the only way you seem to learn is through beatings, maybe I should pound you to a pulp? Or maybe,' Envy licked his lips excitedly, 'I should _carve_ it into you?'

Edward shook his head, trembling as painful memories were pushed to the surface again. Envy crouched in front of the frightened boy, a wide grin plastered to his face and a mischievous look in his eyes. A stifled whimpered passed Ed's lips as the Sin leaned forward and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. Edward flinched away from the magenta-eyed homunculus, shaking his head violently.

"Don't touch me!" Shouted Edward, slapping away Envy's hand. The blond scrambled to his feet, scampering to get away from Envy.

The Sin watched him for a moment before lunging after Ed. He easily caught hold of the boy's wrist, twisting the blond's arm to pin it to the small of his back, simultaneously clamping his other hand over Edward's mouth. With a muffled cry of pain, the alchemists knees buckled when the homunculi kicked the boy's left ankle with crushing force. Tears of pain and fear pricked at the corners of the boy's golden eyes.

With a chuckle, Envy pressed his lips to the boy's lips, relishing how d tensed up and struggled weakly, enjoying the salty taste of his skin. Wishing to elicit more noises from the boy, Envy began to run his tongue along Edwards jugular vein. The boy tried to call out but was cut off when the homunculi's sharp teeth sunk into his skin. for a moment, Edward didn't move. Then, he began thrashing violently, giving it everything he had to escape the green haired one's torture.

The Sin chuckled once more, dragging Eward backwards roughly. The boy whimpered and, realizing how futile his attempts were, slumped in defeat. The boy's body trembled under the Sin's hold and continued to tremble even when Envy released him. Edward held the spot Envy had bitten him, unable to meet the emerald-haired man's eyes.

"I ... I hate you," spat the boy in a distorted voice that shook with turbulent emotions.

'Good,' replied Envy with his hands, 'you should.' When Edward only glared at the Sin's feet, he growled, tangling his fingers in Ed's golden locks and yanking back, forcing the boy's face upwards. Warm, saline tears ran down the young alchemists face as he reluctantly looked into the Sin's eyes. With a grin, Envy wrote in the air, 'good boy.'

Edward frowned and was about to say something to the contrary when a strong wind invaded the cave. The boy coughed hard, trying to expel the sand he'd inhaled as Tii Len and Saruwatari hurried inside. Envy let go of the blond's hair as he doubled over, nearly retching.

'Sand storm,' signed Saruwatari hurriedly, 'we need to seal the entrance.'


	7. Seven

A/N: Well, here's chapter seven. I promise you, Ed and them will be out of the desert by chapter eleven! (I'm there in my notebook but I have yet to type it up.) I hope my present chapters keep you all at bay while the next few chapters get written, revised, typed up, re-revised and so on and so forth. Haha, in the book I write this out in - by HAND people! - I keep writing Dublin instead of Dublith. I have officially confused myself on the matter. Maybe my head needs to be checked. Oh, guess what? I found a theme song for this story! Points of Authority by Linkin Park. And, to make the note longer: Sorry for the long note! This chapter is pretty long too, so maybe that'll make up for this?

Whee! Onto the story! (I accidentally set Jimmy on fire ... Sorry. ;.;)

Disclaimer: Arakawa-sensei owns FullMetal Alchemist, not me. Tii Len is my own character though. Nichole and Saruwatari are not mine, I think (they're my friends). And ... yeah, I think that's it for now. (Note how lazy I am and just keep copying the same disclaimer?)

---

Being in Dublith again brought back many memories for Alphonse Elric, most of which were pleasant. However, these memories were more painful to have for the boy. It seemed to Al that everywhere he looked, a memory of him and his brother was attached. Of course, Al had a lot of time to think over these memories, about his life. About everything and anything. After all, he was unable to sleep.

For six days, he and Nichole had imposed upon Izumi Curtis while her husband was gone on butcher's business. Nichole had slept soundly every night, thanks to the torturous chores Izumi made her do. She really didn't seem to mind, though, and Al was glad she hadn't left yet. But it was thanks to her deep-slept nights that she still believed that he was only wearing a suit of armour over his own body. She had no idea that the suit of armour was, in fact, his body. It was also thanks to those deep-slept nights that Nichole didn't have to witness how Alphonse had gotten jumpy during the night, how he felt things that were physically impossible for him. That night was also the night that Nichole was unable to sleep for once.

As quiet as a mouse, she crept into the living room with slippered feet. Al turned his head towards her when she whispered his name tentatively.

"You couldn't sleep either?" she asked, sitting next to the suit of armour. when Al nodded, she posed a second question. "Do you _sleep_ in that armour?"

"Uh, w-well ..." Al never was good at sharing his past like Edward was. Not that he went around announcing it to everyone.

Nichole gave Al a reproachful look. "Is something wrong?" she asked, leaning forward a bit.

If suits of armour could blush, Al would be as red as a rose. Changing the subject, Al countered with a question of his own. "Why couldn't _you_ sleep?"

With a pout and a shrug, Nichole answered, "I dunno." Al could tell she was lying and told her so. "Fine! So I had a bad dream. What'cha gonna do about it?"

"What did you dream about?"

"I don't remember." She paused. "Why do you want to get your original body back? Are you disfigured under all that metal?"

"Uh, not .. Not exactly, Nichole ..." he replied. "But ... Well ..."

"Come on, you can trust me." She extended her pinky to the boy. "I promise."

Al shook her slender pinky finger with his own over-sized, bulky one. Then he began from the very beginning, with the day of his and Edward's mother's, Trisha Elric's, death.

---

The relentless daytime desert heat waned as the sun sunk below the horizon. The cool wind that followed the dark kicked up sand in magnificent swirls and clouds. It seemed the desert wanted to prevent the group from traversing the desert any quicker than it deemed appropriate. Edward Elric had easily recovered from his heat exhaustion just in time for the group to realize their supplies, of which each carried their own share, were next to non-existant. This proved to be a rather alarming problem. After much begging and pleading and reasoning, the group managed to convince Edward to transmute the sand into food and water, something that, as a state alchemist, was absolutely forbidden. (1)

It wasn't that transmuting the sand into sustenance was hard - all it required was a breakdown of the elements and the re-arrangement of a few protons and some mixing and matching - but Edward was reluctant. If someone decided to rat on him, his license would be lost and he would be in deep trouble (Roy). He even feared, somewhere way deep down with a voice so tiny it was only just barely heard, that breaking another of the state's rules about alchemy could result in another trip to the gate.

Edward took the time to write out simple equations and elemental breakdowns of the materials he would be working with so that he would know exactly what he was making, since transmuting something like sand into edible food was difficult in that one mistake in the composition could make some deadly and/or unknown compounds. As the alchemist worked, the winds died down. The sandstorm that had plagued the desert for almost two full days had passed.

Tii Len ventured outside with Envy and Saruwatari stayed inside to watched Edward scribble on the rock wall with a grey-ish stone he kept in his pocket. As the night wore on, the alchemist became more and more frustrated with his calculations. Eventually, when dawn was breaking and when Envy had finally decided to leave Edward alone again, he figured out just what he needed to make the food and water. Saruwatari hadn't moved an inch since sunset.

'What,' asked Edward, eyeing the boy suspiciously. He had been so absorbed in his work that he'd failed to notice Saruwatari the entire time.

'You are amazing with numbers, that's all,' replied Saruwatari. He flicked his unruley, sun-bleached hair from his eyes with a quick turn of his head.

'Thanks, I guess.'

After a pause, Saruwatari stated out of the blue, 'I know a form of the purification arts.'

"Purification arts?" Edward's voice sounded muddled as he repeated the other boy's words. Then, realization struck him on the head like a tonne of bricks. In Xing, it was called the purification arts as opposed to what Amestrians called alchemy. Edward knew that there was some kind of major difference between alchemy and the purification arts, besides the name, but he hadn't bothered with learning it. He regretted it now.

Saruwatari nodded, his dark eyes alive with a previously masked intelligence - a different kind than what he'd demonstrated before in teaching them a new language. He held out his hand and Ed handed over his chalk. With quick, fluid motions, Saruwatari sketched a complex design on the floor.

When the boy from Xing sat back, Ed studied the pattern. After a few intense moments under the blond's gaze, the design made sense. It was a transmutation circle. And Edward knew exactly what it was for.

'You ...' Edward's hands faltered, shaking. 'You know how to--'

Ed was cut off as the sound of hoof beats caught Saruwatari's attention. Curious, Edward rose and padded over to the half-buried entrance to his cave, to see why the dark-eyed boy had suddenly looked in that direction. Edward couldn't believe his eyes; the sandstorm had perched their cave on the rise of a sand dune. He could see the Brigg's mountains to the North, large and imposing up close, but from the distance only little lumps on the horizon. Closing in fast was a large group of what appeared to be a band of desert thieves. They looked like tiny little ants surfing on the sand. The impressive sound their steeds made as they galloped across the loose sand was lost to the blond as he watched, mesmerized.

Tii Len scampered over to Edward and Saruwatari followed Envy out into the pale morning light. Knowing they had no other option, the four of them waited.

---

Even before the men on horseback were very close, Envy knew who they were. The man in the lead was very well built, his bulging muscles evident even beneath the heavy leather he wore to kept the sun off his skin. On his right hip was a scimitar and strapped to his back was a very large stone axe, one with a flat, blunt end for bashing and a razor sharp edge for slicing. It looked like it easily weighed 100 lbs. The men that rode with him, fourteen in total, were built similarly, each with some kind of weapon. it was evident that they did _not_ come for some tea and cookies.

The leader of the group of bandits drew to a halt a few yards from where the ragtag travelling group stood. "You," he roared from atop his horse, "where is Brajt and friend? He come for traveler two night. He not return." His voice was reminiscent of an erupting volcano, loud, rumbling and easily heard.

Envy stepped forward with a grin. "Brajt and his people are dead. _I_ killed them, alone. Care to tangle?"

The man atop his horse glared at the emerald haired one. "Palm tree man, what your name?"

The grin on the Sin's face faltered for a brief moment. "One; do you see any coconuts?" Envy gestured to his chest in good humor. "Two; give me your name and I shall give you mine." The homunculus made a sweeping, mocking bow.

A rumbling filled the air as the man in charge chuckled. "I like you," he said. "Ish'dara'Minyuh," with a cruel smile twisting his lips, the man gestured to himself.

"Such a fitting name. Well, Ish'dara'Minyuh, they call me Envy." He wore a smile to match the other's.

Ish'dara'Minyuh dismounted from his steed and removed his axe from it's bindings on his back in one fluid motion, looking oddly graceful with his bulky frame. He sauntered closed to the Sin but stayed a few feet back, perfectly within his own striking range but well out of what _looked_ like Envy's. Ish'dara'Minyuh leisurely held his axe over his shoulder effortlessly. "I have proposal. Give us woman, food and water. We will not kill for wrong."

It was then that Tii Len spoke up. She hesitantly stepped forward and, in a timid voice, began to negotiate with the mountainous man in their native tongue.

Envy nudged Saruwatari and asked, 'what's she saying? Be useful and translate." The boy nodded and turned so both Edward and the Sin could see his hands clearly. With a smirk, Envy watched intently as the Saruwatari's hands moved and as Tii Len's voice grew stronger and more heated.

'--and we ourselves do not have enough food or water, even for ourselves. Please, can't you spare us?'

'That is impossible, little girl. The palm tree one killed my brother and his men. For that, I cannot forgive him. Or you.' The large man hefted his axe high, giving a loud, bloodthirsty roar. His companions followed suit and began dismounting.

'Please stop! Envy should be the ones punished, not us! We had nothing to do with the murder of your brother and his friends. We had nothing to do with the murder that man committed! I beg of you, please--'

Ish'dara'Minyuh cut over her voice as he ambled forward, his bulk just as imposing as the Brigg mountains in the North. '_Enough!_ He is travelling with you, so you _all_ shall pay for his crimes! My word is law out here little girl!' His voice made the air vibrate as he one-handedly lifted his axe above his head and swung it at the girl. She saw the muscles in his arms strain with the force he put into the attack.

Tii Len fell backwards with a small scream of fright, expecting the great stone axe to split her in two. When nothing happened, she quickly opened her eyes, astonished beyond words to see Envy with the axe embeded so deep into his back that the chipped, but razor sharp, edge sticking through his chest. It didn't occur to the girl that the blow should have gone straight through the lean-looking Sin and chopped her in half as well. Her mind had stopped working.

Blood gushed from the wound as if it were being replenished faster than it was being lost. With a hearty laugh, Ish'dara'Minyuh wrenched his massive weapon from the Sin's back. _Thud,_ the Sin fell face first into the sand at Tii Len's feet. Horrified, she loosed an ear-splitting scream.

---

Dawn was breaking in Dublith when Alphonse finished telling Nichole his life story. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears and her hand was pressed to her mouth. "Oh, Al," she said, wiping the tears from her eyes before they could spill, "I had no idea you had it so rough ... And here I was thinking just how bad _my_ life was ..."

Al remained silent for several moments. "You know," he said finally, "you're the first person I've ever told all this to." Mostly, he'd spoken just for the sake of breaking the silence. he looked to Nichole just in time for her to launch herself at him. She clung to his cold metal body for only a few moments in an awkward hug, and when she sat back her face was wet with tears.

Clumsily, Al patted the girl's shoulder. She smiled wryly and wiped hastily at her eyes again. "Sorry Al, I'm not normally so ... emotional."

Al chuckled softly, awkwardly, and said, "That's alright."

Nichole giggled and asked, "So, where's your brother now?" She wiped at her eyes one last time.

"He ..." Al hesitated. "He's in Xing, part of a small information gathering group."

Her eyes widened until Al could see the white nearly all the way around Nichole's eyes. "_Xing_? Is he alright? I mean, they're kind of crazy over there, blowing up all the sea ports and the rail systems ..."

Al shrugged. "I don't know if he's okay. But I have a feeling he's not dead yet." It was then that Al felt a jolt of panic not his own. He sat up straight, the suit of armour creaking as he moved, and lifted a hand to his head. It felt like his head was being split in half - the first feeling of pain he'd felt since his body had become armour.

"What's wrong?" asked Nichole anxiously.

"My ... My head ... Augh, it hurts ..." Alphonse tried not to scream in agony as the feeling worsened. What the _hell_ was Edward up to?

---

Tii Len scrambled away from Envy's fallen body as Ish'dara'Minyuh fought off Edward and Saruwatari alone. He'd ordered his men to stay where they were until he gave the word.The big man had bashed Edward over the head with the blunt end of his axe and was in the process of strangling the Xing boy when Envy rose - and he looked absolutely _pissed off_.

With a strange kind of energy - Tii Len thought it looked like the same kind of energy she'd seen her father using - that looked like electricity dancing over him, the gaping wound sealed itself. He leisurely dusted himself off and stretched before gracefully leaping backwards, landing on the stunned Ish'dara'Minyuh's shoulders.

The mountainous man's followers were equally as shocked. Many of them began to back away, crossing their fingers above their hearts - one of the many signs to ward off evil and malicious spirits.

With a grin that mocked the Cheshire cat, Envy brought down his heel to the base of the man's head The force of the blow shattered the back of Ish'dara'Minyuh's skull and most of his spine with a sick crunching noise.

Envy kicked off from the man as he crumpled, never to rise again. He smiled at the remaining warriors, who began to remount and flee. The smile on the Sin's face disappeared and he quickly yanked two riders from the backs of the steeds before they could follow their comrades - who were abandoning them. Incidentally, they were the youngest of the troop; they had to be no older than 20.

Both boys - one built large in the shoulders, the other tall and lithe - struggled with fervor, but Envy had a firm grip. He was just about to smash their heads together when Tii Len tackled him from behind.

"No!" she screeched.

Envy paused before letting go of the one with the larger build. The boy stumbled and fell to his knees. "Tell your friends not to come back," growled the Sin.

"Th-thank you!" he said with an accent so heavy Envy almost couldn't understand him. The the boy ran to where his horse waited, not five feet from where the other boy's horse had halted - they were incredibly well trained stallions.

As his comrade-in-arms rode off without him, the other boy gave up and slumped to the ground. He stared at the ground with the look of a dead man walking - a look of lost hope.

"Let him go too," pleaded Tii Len. "Please, Envy!"

The Sin could feel her body trembling and he could hear her heart beating hard and fast. She was more afraid of the Sin that she'd ever been in her life - and it showed. "No," replied Envy gruffly. "Go get some rope or something. We're taking him with us."

"Thank you," whispered Tii Len, her relief winning over her fear briefly as she leaned over and kissed the Sin, shyly, on the mouth. Before she had to own up to her actions, she took off in search of something to bind the raider boy with.

Envy let go of the boy's rough cotton tunic and took hold of his hair instead. "What's your name?" inquired the Sin with a very unfriendly tug of the boy's hair.

The boy replied in a language Envy didn't understand, but he could guess that what he'd said was something along the lines of, "I don't speak your language."

When the girl returned with the braided cord Saruwatari used as a belt, Envy asked her to translate. "His name is Yui Zhixiao," said the girl softly, not making eye contact with the Sin.

"Thanks," said Envy, picking up Yui like a sack of potatoes - for all his activity he looked like one - and heading to where Saruwatari was tending to Edward. As he dumped the resigned captive on the ground, he asked, "Will Edo-kun be alright?"

Saruwatari shook his head, understanding only because Envy had pointed the the fabric the Xing boy had tied around Edward's head. 'His head has been split open. His brain will be damaged - if he survives.'

Envy sighed and knelt next to the boy. Saruwatari had torn up and tied strips of Edward's cloak around his broken head, and it was already soaked with blood. Envy brushed a lock of crimson-stained blond hair out of the alchemists face. "Poor Edo-kun ..." he muttered feeling as if someone was squeezing his heart with icy fingers. Turning back to Saruwatari, Envy asked with his hands, 'is there anything else we can do for him?'

After a hesitant nod, Saruwatari replied, 'I know a very small amount of what you call _alchemy_, but I do know how to use the purification arts to heal.'

Envy stared in disbelief. 'What in the world were you waiting for, you moron?' Envy growled and swore angrily under his breath. 'Heal him!'

'I will need help,' replied Saruwatari calmly. 'You will help clean his wound?'

"Like _fuck_ I will!" hissed the Sin, glaring daggers at the boy.

Saruwatari sighed. 'At least help me move him to a cooler spot.'

"... Fine."

---

Suddenly, the pain vanished. Confused, Al glanced around at the concerned faces that had gathered. "I-I'm fine now," he muttered, feeling embarrassed. He explained three times - once to Nichole, once to Izumi and a third time to them both - about what was happening.

"Maybe we should stop the research for a little while," suggested Izumi, uncharacteristic worry in her eyes.

"No," said Al stubbornly. "I'm going to get my body back and nothing will stop me."

"You're starting to sound like Ed," complained Al's teacher. Then, adding softly, "besides, you said the same thing about learning alchemy _last time._"

"That was different!" protested the boy. "I was younger and more naive then - I didn't know what was happening! I didn't know about the toll, about the truth!" Al slammed his fist on the table, making Nichole jump. "And ... _that time_, all I wanted was to have my mother back. I know that I can't bring someone back from the dead, but _I'm_ not dead yet! I only _have_ until my soul rejects this body!" It was clear that if Al could cry, he would. "Please," he begged, "just a little longer ..."

Hesitantly, Izumi nodded. "Just ... Don't disappear on me."

Puzzled, Al watched Izumi stand and make her way back to her bedroom. What could she have possibly meant by that?

Nichole also gave the boy in the suit of armour before muttering something about sleep before heading for her own bed. She called a good night from the hall before vanishing into the guest room. deciding that he couldn't just sit and be idle now, Al went back to the room Izumi kept all her books on alchemy. However, no sooner had Al sat down when the blood rune inside his metal body begin to glow. Soon, the light grew to engulf everything, and, terrified, Al cried out.

Then the room was no more.


	8. Eight

A/N: Chapter eight, finally! Okay, in case you're wondering (because no one _actually_ reads these _first_) Edward can recall hair and eyes, but he can't peice together the entire face. The exceptions are faces he normally had a hard time remembering - ones like his mother's face - where he remembers the most prominent details; hair length and style, glasses, face shape etc. Those faces are gone entirely. Oh, and things like voice recognition aren't effected, just face recall. It's amazing just how _selective_ memory loss can be.

All standard disclaimers apply.

--

A pair of golden eyes fluttered open. They stared into a pair of magenta, cat-like eyes, confused. "Who ... Who are you?" croaked Edward, slurring his words. He studied the face above his own, trying - and failing - to remember who's name went with it.

"Envy," replied the man, mouthing the word concisely but clearly. He gently brushed a stray lock of hair from the blond's face.

The boy scowled and swatted at Envy's hand. sitting up, he muttered, "Oh yeah." He held a hand to his head, feeling like his skull was on fire. Surprised, he drew back his hand to stare at the flecks of dried blood clinging to his fingers. 'What happened to me?" asked Edward with his hands. 'I remember rushing at that big guy, but ...' Edward's hands trembled in realization. 'I can't remember what he looks like either.'

'Well,' replied Envy, 'he was big and ugly. He's outside if you really want to see him. He's .. kind of dead, though.' Envy grinned dryly at the boy.

Edward frowned and shook his head. 'No ...' his hands faltered slightly. 'I think something's wrong ... In here,' Ed tapped his forehead with a wince.

Envy scoffed. 'You've always been loopy.'

Shaking his head once more, tears formed at the corners of Ed's eyes. 'No, Envy. I can't remember anyone's face ...' The tears began to spill down the boy's cheeks freely. 'Something's wrong!'

Seeing the boy's obvious distress, the Sin wrapped his arms around him. To Envy's eternal surprise, Edward clung to his lithe body and cried into his shoulder softly. Not really knowing what else to do, the Sin just gently stroked the boy's blood stained hair.

He'd wanted to torment the boy, but his fun had to wait until later, when the boy was less of an emotional wreck.

--

When the blinding white light ceased to burn Alphonse's non-existent eyes, the gate stood in front of him - and the truth.

"Wh-what happened?" asked the boy, bewildered.

The Truth grinned. "You've returned here, of course."

"Here? _Where _is _here_?" Al glared at the Truth. "Where's my body? I want it back!"

"And what are you prepared to give for it?" asked the Truth mockingly. However, when Alphonse did not respond to the tease, crossing his arms instead, the Truth spoke again. "You're an alchemist, don't you remember _equivalent exchange?_"

Despite the hesitant look in the boy's clear blue eyes, he nodded. "Of course I remember equivalent exchange."

"Good," replied the Truth. "Then how about you give me that metal body you're using in return for your old one?"

Another nod. Perhaps a little too hasty in accepting the Truth's terms. "Yes," he hissed, "I'll trade!"

A frown crossed the indescribable Truth's face. "Oh, but that wouldn't be fair. Let's throw in those memories you've aquired since you last came to visit, then you can be on your merry little way."

"But," stuttered Al. Mentally, he weighed his options, but there wasn't much there to weigh.

"Tick, tock, tick, tock," encouraged the Truth gleefully. "If you don't hurry you'll have to go back, _without a body of any kind_."

"All right," said Alphonse resolutely, "you have a deal."

--

Tii Len poked her head around the wall of the cave. "Is Edward awake yet?" she asked shyly.

"Yeah," replied the emerald-haired Sin, narrowing his eyes at the girl in the gloom. "Could you bring some light in here or something?" By the tone of his voice, it was clear that his nerves were worn thin.

"Oh, sorry. No, I cannot," Tii Len replied. "We have no fire and there are storm clouds over the sun." Hesitantly stepping into Edward's line of sight, she added, "how is he?"

The blond boy looked up at the native Xing girl, a fleeting look of recognition dawning on his face. "Is he Envy?" he asked in a muted voice.

"Yes," replied the other two simultaneously. Envy chuckled dryly.

"He can't hear anyways. Besides, it's too dark in here for him to communicate effectively." Envy growled warningly as he scooped Edward into his arms, carrying him into the fading, feeble sunlight, as the boy protested vehemently.

When he was set on his rear again, he stared at Tii Len as if trying to memorize her face. 'Is he Envy?' he repeated with his hands. Tii Len nodded, confusion crossing her features. 'You're Tii Len, then?' Again, the girl nodded.

'Why?' she countered.

'I don't remember your face.' Edward's hands faltered slightly before he folded them in his lap.

"Oh," she muttered softly. She glanced at Envy out of the corner of her eye, repeating, 'Why?'

The boy shrugged and turned his face away. When he looked back, his face looked so stoic it could have been chiseled out of stone. 'I don't know. I can't remember anyone's face.' Then the mask broke and he smiled. It was strained, though, as he asked, 'Where's Saruwatari?'

'He's with Yui,' she replied, pointing toward to the eastern side of the cave.

'Thank you,' signed Ed before trotting off to find the others.

Once the boy had left, Tii Len turned to follow, but Envy's quick reflexes bested her agile nature and he caught her wrist in an iron grip. She turned to him inquiringly, to ask him to release her, but the word's died in her throat; the way the Sin was staring at her, like some kind of ravenous animal, made her very afraid.

"You like me." Envy's eyes narrowed slightly and his tongue darted out to moisten his smirking lips. It wasn't a question.

"No," lied Tii Len through her teeth, shaking her head as if to convince herself. "I do not. Please," she stuttered, "let go of me." When he didn't respond, she tried to forcefully wrench her wrist from his grasp. However, instead of deterring the magenta-eyed one, he pulled her to his chest.

"Then what was _that_about earlier?" he asked, wrapping his other arm around Tii Len's waist firmly. When she glared in alarm and confusion, he clarified, "That _kiss_."

"Please, let go!" protested the girl, squirming in Envy's arms, trying to distance herself from the Sin. Fear made her voice squeak and her body tremble as, with a low, appreciative growl, Envy leaned in. His breath danced over her skin and her cheeks coloured themselves an interesting shade of red. "_Please_," she begged, turning her face away, shutting her eyes tight. It was obvious she wasn't going to answer.

"And if I _don't_?" purred the homunculus, nipping at the frightened girl's earlobe. She tensed, whimpering softly. Despite the now-damp-feeling desert heat, goosebumps rippled up and down her body. With a chuckle, Envy nipped once more, lingering a fraction of a second longer, before suddenly releasing her. She stumbled backwards and fell, scraping the heels of her hands, but quickly scrambled to her feet and dashing in the general direction Edward had gone. Envy caught a glimpse of her pained face and the tears that had welled in her eyes before she was gone.

Satisfied, Envy chuckled once more. "If I can't have Edward," he reasoned softly, "then Tii Len will take his place."

--

'We need to keep moving,' announced Edward when the sun set. Envy groaned loudly and let himself flop back into the coarse sand. Tii Len scooted closer to Saruwatari, who nodded in agreement with Edward.

'Come on, you stupid _bastard_,' signed Edward angrily. As he stepped passed the Sin, he accidentally-on-purpose stomped on his arm.

With a sudden burst of rage, Envy quickly snatched the boy's ankle, pulling his feet from under him. With a surprised grunt, Edward fell to his hands and knees.

'Excuse me, but _who_'s the bastard?' asked Envy as Edward sat up and dusted himself off. Then the blond pointed at the emerald-haired one, glaring defiantly. 'As _I_ understand,' retorted the Sin, emphasizing his words with larger motions, '_you_ were the one born outside of wedlock!'

Irked, Edward pounced on the homunculus, hitting, biting and scratching - doing his best to cause some kind of damage. Envy hesitated only briefly before effortlessly pinning the blond beneath him.

Fear breifly flitted across Edward's face after he impulsively spat up at the Sin, scoring a direct hit on his face. Nonchalantly, Envy wiped the spittle off his face. Then, he grinned, showing off his sharp teeth. Keeping both of the boy's arm's pinned above his head with one of his own, Envy signed with one hand, albeit a little difficultly, 'maybe I should punish you.'

Edward shook his head hurriedly, turning his face from the homunculus in a show of complacency. "No," he whispered.

Suddenly aware that there were other people around, Envy glanced up at the rest of the group - both of which looked ready to jump into the fray at any moment to stop the Sin. Glaring venomously, he said, "Get in my way and you will _seriously_ regret it."

Tii Len translated quickly for Saruwatari, who replied brokenly, "I will _not_."

A sadistic grinned spread across Envy's face as his fingers danced along the hem of Edward's shirt. "Oh, I doubt that," he growled as Edward squirmed against the Sin, who's hand slowly snaked up his black, sleeveless shirt. "Because I sure as _fuck_ don't care if you die. I'm only looked out for _us_."

"Stop," whispered the blond pleadingly, trying to buck the Sin off of him, "_please_!"

Envy pushed the black fabric until it was bunched around the blonde's shoulders. His fingers ghosted along Edward's stomach, tracing along the muscles and inching their way up to his chest.

"Stop!" shouted Tii Len as Envy leaned down and captured the boy's mouth with his own. Envy smirked into the kiss, gesturing rudely to the girl. "I said _stop_," she screeched, her voice cracking. With an uncharacteristic look of absolute panic, she tackled the Sin, trying to dislodge him.

However, Envy did not budge. "Jealous?" he purred, pulling away from Edward and grinning at the girl. Edward struggled beneath the homunculus, panting, squirming desperately.

"N-no," stuttered the girl, tugging furiously at Envy now. "Get off him!"

"On one condition." Envy grinned, grabbing one of her wrists. "_You_ take his place."

Tii Len shook her head vehemently. "No! Stop this right now, you .. You --" she inhaled deeply before, in a restrained way, screamed a word in her native tongue, relinquishing her hold on Envy to stomp one foot. Then, a blush covered her cheeks, but she continued to glare.

"I take it," purred the Sin, "that what you just called me was _rude_?" Narrowing his eyes, Envy climbed off of Edward. When Tii Len nodded, meekly and hesitantly, Envy pushed her to the ground, none too gently, and straddled her hips. "Then you need to learn some _respect_," said the Sin before covering the girl's mouth with his own with bruising force, cutting off whatever reply she had been about to make.

--

After dinner, Nichole invited Al to come with her to the store before it closed. She used the "it's-too-dark-and-scary-to-go-by-myself" excuse, so Al, being the gentleman, went with her.

As they wound their way down to the fabric store, the sun was swallowed up by the horizon. Al tried hard to listen to what Nichole was prattling on about, but Izumi's words kept pulling his attention away, as if her words were a giant magnet, one that was powerful enough to divert a teenage boy's mind away from the pretty girl he was with.

"Er," said Al when he realized Nichole had asked him a question, "Sorry. Could you repeat that?"

Nichole punched the boy's shoulder playfully. "Were you even listening to what I was saying?" she growled good-naturedly.

"Y-yes! I have, I swear!"

"Good." Hesitantly, Nichole laced her fingers with Al's. "I'll always be here for you, you know."

Grateful for the dim light, Al's face turned a shade of crimson that hadn't been discovered yet. "I, er ... Uhm, thanks, Nichole," he replied, the words tumbling out and tripping over themselves.

Nichole giggled cutely, removing her hand from Al's to trap him in a headlock. "You're such a geek," she said, noogie-ing him. When she broke the noogie, she added, "But you're a _cute_ geek."

"I-I-I ... I am?" stuttered Al.

With another giggle, Nichole stuck out her tongue. Then, she tagged Al and darted down the street, declaring, "You're it!"

Hesitating only a moment, Alphonse chased after her, Izumi's words now forgotten.

--

When the couple returned, flushed and panting and toting more than a few bags each, Izumi gave them a lecture to remember. Then, sounding much like a mother, she sent Al to the living room and Nichole to the guest room.

Nichole and Al shared one last smile before they separated for the night. Al snuggled down into the couch under the quilt Izumi had dug out for him, still reeling from tongue lashing he'd endured, when Izumi herself entered the room.''

Al peeked out from the blanket as Izumi took a seat next to him. "Al," she said softly. "Rememberwhat I said before dinner?"

With a nod, Al replied, "Yes, sensei."

"Al, almost seven months ago ... Well, Winry's gone."

"A-as in dead?" asked the boy, shrinking away from Izumi slightly, hoping that she was lying.

However, Izumi nodded. "I'm sorry, Al ..."

"No," groaned the boy, tears spilling from his eyes. "Sh-she can't be gone," I muttered, burrying his face in the quilt.

"There's more, Al. Your brother, Edward, has been reported MIA and presumed to be KIA." To Izumi, this moment was the worst in her entire life. She would remember it until her death.

Then, she began to tell Alphonse of the life he'd forgotten.


	9. Nine

A/N: Originally, the first part was written for chapter eight, but then chapter nine was too short. _Way_ too short, actually. So I merged and revised this chapter a little (My most sincere apologies for the late update. Seriously. Forgive me?). My writing style has changed dramatically since I last looked at this story – I took a look and actually asked myself, _was my writing really this bad_? So. Things will change a little because of my edit-as-I-go-and-forget-about-going-back habit English essays have earned me, considering that I wrote most of PwM2 in a notebook. The two mediums produce two different sets of work, I assure you. Want an example? Take a look at Drain Bamage or TASTY. They're so different from this style I'm amazed. Want a better example? On my fictionpress acount, I've written something called The Open Skies, and the style is so dramatically different from this story that it does the boggling-of-the-mind thing. Seriously. (I love that word. Can you tell?)

Sorry for the rambling! On with the story! (Finally ...)

All standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

When Envy's mouth attacked her own, all thoughts had ceased in Tii Len's brain. After a few moments, however, the gears began to turn with much grinding, as if the desert sand had gotten into her skull. Then, she bit down on the Sin's invading tongue, hard.

Envy jerked his head back and spat out a wad of blood and the segment of his tongue that Tii Len had managed to shear off with her teeth. She glared defiantly, even when Envy backhanded her hard enough to make the bones in her neck pop.

Envy was made aware of the rest of the world when Saruwatari's heel made sharp contact with his side.

"What the _hell_," snapped the emerald-haired Sin, "Do you think you're doing?"

Saruwatari tossed his belt at the Sin as Tii Len scrambled away, seeking Edward for protection.

"Sorry to interrupt," replied the Xing boy, struggling to wrap his tongue around the foreign words, "But Yiu Zhixiao has escaped."

Envy cursed, slamming his fist into the sand. 'Which way?' he asked with his hands. Saruwatari pointed towards the mountains. 'You go on without me – I'll bring Yui back.' Then, the trio watched as Envy's body twisted and morphed into a new shape – that of a great eagle – before he launched into the dessert air, leaving them behind.

Tii Len clung to Edward's arm as she watched the sin go after their captive. When he looked to be no more than a speck in the sky that grew ever more dark, Edward spoke with his hands. 'Well,' he signed, 'Let's get going. Envy wouldn't like it if we stayed here.'

Saruwatari nodded, glancing at Tii Len. She tried to smile but her heart still beat hard and fear still gripped her, turning his smile into a grimace. So she stared at the ground as Edward moved on. Tii Len was just glad that Edward had not yet made her let go of his sleeve.

The trio walked on diligently, the only noises made by their laboured footsteps as the trudged through the strength-sapping sand. After a while, it became apparent that Edward was not well. Tii Len felt heat rising from his arm that didn't belong, so she gently placed her cool fingers on the blonde's forehead.

He groaned softly, involuntarily, and closed his eyes, pulling Tii Len's softer hand against his burning face. Alarmed, she almost pulled her hand away.

"Uhm," she started, speaking in her native tongue, "Saruwatari? Edward is far too hot. What should I do?"

The dark boy nibbled on his bottom lip thoughtfully. Then, he shrugged. "I do not know. We're almost out of water, so we can not waste anymore on him. If he needs to rest, I will carry Edward." Tii Len realized that his accent was that of Northern Xing.

Tii Len nodded and Edward let go of her now warm hand. Even despite the moonlight that drained the colour of the boy's face, she could tell he was embarrassed. The blond stared at the cooling desert sand, unable to hear the conversation between his two companions.

"Where are you from?" asked the girl curiously.

"The Royal City," replied Saruwatari honestly. "What about you? Your accent is that of the South."

Grinning, Tii Len replied, "You're more observant than I. The place I am from does not have a name, nor shall it. My home was destroyed during an attack from Northern Xing." Despite the disturbing news, the girl grinned.

"I would apologize, but I had nothing to do with the attacks." Saruwatari sighed, raking his fingers through his hair absently.

"It does not matter anyway," started Tii Len, her words dying mid-sentence.

'I feel dizzy,' signed Edward, collapsing to his knees and holding his head as if it would make the world stop spinning. He groaned softly before toppling sideways, the placating darkness of unconsciousness taking him away.

Glancing at Saruwatari, Tii Len worried. She helped the dark boy hoist Edward onto his back and tied the hair band she carried with her around Saruwatari and Edward so that blond Amestrian wouldn't fall. They continued walking as if nothing had happened, but an uncomfortable silence settled over them. It was Saruwatari who broke it.

"You like him," he said.

"Who?" Frowning, Tii Len nibbled on her lip. There were only two possibilities, and she hoped that Saruwatari picked wrong.

"Envy. I see the way you've been looking at him – Edward probably knows too."

Lighting up like the sun, Tii Len coloured in embarrassment. Then it all drained away and she became paler than the dim moon that was only beginning its journey through the sky. "D-does Envy know about it?" Her voice trembled softly. She knew what the homunculus could do with such information as she cowered from such imaginings.

"Quite obviously, he is _very_ aware of your affection."

Tii Len hung her head. Come to think of it, hadn't Envy already confronted her about such things? "Oh no," she moaned, burying her face in her hands. "He … Envy is such a _monster,_ but ... I can tell he's capable of feeling emotions beyond anger, hate, and jealousy. But, I …" Her voice faltered and she pressed a hand to her mouth, stifling a helpless sob.

"But you're afraid of how he will use your feelings against you," finished the Northerner.

With a nod, Tii Len wiped at her eyes, which had become wet in spite of the moisture-depleting air. "And he _will_ use it against me. He already has."

Saruwatari patted the upset girl's shoulder. "Have you ever heard the story of the demon lord and his pretty bride?"

"Of course," replied Tii Len. "My mother use to tell me all the time when I was little." She smiled, remembering the story. "'There was once a beautiful castle,'" she recited. "'But the castle never had any visitors. It wasn't because the people didn't want to come, but because of the demon that dwelled within frightened them away.'"

"'The demon did terrible things,'" continued Saruwatari, "'Like torturing any one he did not like. However, he hardly ever exercised this power.'"

"'Because the castle never had any visitors,'" They said in unison. Tii Len's smile had returned once more.

Edward's bright, golden, eyes snapped open. As he had slowly struggled to regain consciousness, the pain in his skull had been dull and bearable, but all of a sudden it was sharp. It felt as if that mountain of a man had split open his head again.

The first thing Ed noticed, besides the excruciating pain, was the girl sitting next to him. She was turned away from Edward, but he could tell she was talking. _Her name is Tii Len_, he thought, _Right?_ Tears pricked at his eyes. _Why can't I remember?_

He looked at the sky beyond the girl and realized that it was nearly midday. He had been unconscious all night. Feeling angry with himself, Edward rolled onto his side, away from Tii Len, and attempted to sit up.

The girl gently pushed him back down. 'Rest,' she ordered with her hands, shaking her head.

Pouting, Edward obeyed. Judging by the angry glance she shot over her shoulder, Edward guessed who it was that sat only a few feet away.

'He,' signed Ed, pointing to the grinning green-haired one, 'Is Envy, right?' The boy tried not to show Tii Len how distressed he felt. How helpless he was feeling.

She nodded, glaring over her shoulder once more when the green-haired one spoke. 'He says he wants to take over watch. Is it okay with you?'

Knowing exactly just how frustrating Envy could be when he wasn't getting his way, Edward nodded. The look of relief on her face made the boy believe that having to deal with the insane homunculus was worth it – the girl didn't deserve to go through all this. As she got up and marched over to where the other boy was, Ed began to doubt his judgement.

_Since when do we have a house?_ He thought as the Sin pulled the boy into his lap. Ed didn't even struggle, knowing full well that resistance was what he wanted from him. _As an excuse to put me through hell_.

Edward shuddered involuntarily, despite the blistering heat surrounding him. 'My head hurts,' he signed. He felt Envy chuckle, then shrug. 'Kill me.'

Envy was still for a few long, tense, heartbeats. _Why_? he wrote in the sand.

"Please," whispered Ed in his shaky, distorted voice. "Please, Envy. Kill me."

The Sin growled and cuffed the boy upside the head. _Don't joke about that,_ he wrote with angry slashes.

Edward twisted around in Envy's lap, burying his noise in the crook of the Sin's shoulder. His body trembled with suppressed sobs as tears clung to his lashes. "It hurts," he muttered, "So, _so_, much. In here." Edward touched Envy's forehead, "And here," then he placed his hand over the Sin's heart – supposing he had one.

Envy replied vocally, but Ed could only feel the rumbling deep in the Sin's chest. Then, the Sin tightly wrapped his arms around the boy.

"I can't stand it anymore, Envy. I can't hear, I'm in constant pain and _now_," Edward paused, taking a deep breath, "And now I can't even remember what my Mother looks like – Al and Winry too. Hell, I don't even remember what _I_ look like!" A desperate sob escaped his throat as Ed clung to the homunculus. His voice cracked as it rose in volume, saying, "Oh, and guess what? It's all your fault, Envy. All _your_ doing. I would still have my hearing if you hadn't done what you did six months ago! If you hadn't thought it was fun to _rape me_ while disguised at the Colonel!" Ed's voice dropped back to a breathy whisper, "Why, Envy? Why did you do it? Why couldn't you have let me _go_? Hadn't you done _enough_ to me? You had already ripped out my Achilles tendon, for fuck sake! _Why?_" Tears clouded Edward's vision as he struck out at the homunculus. Tears and rage and grief.

Edward knew that Envy _let_ him hit him, but that only made Ed angrier. With a quick motion, Envy had the blonde's hand trapped at the wrists. With a wordless snarl of frustration, the blond boy tried to yank his hands free from Envy's restraining grip.

"You don't know what it's like!" screamed the boy. "You don't know how it feels to go through the _shit_ you've put me through! You're such an _asshole!_" Ed felt his strength wane as the pounding in his head grew. He went limp, no longer holding his tears back as he sobbed in frustration. "I hate you," he hiccoughed, clinging to the Sin when he was wrapped in his arms once more. "I fucking _hate_ you." He felt the homunculus reply as he tried to consol the hysterical boy. "Please," whimpered Edward one last time, "Just let me die."

Envy was more than glad when Saruwatari took over watching the hysterical boy. Ed had reluctantly climbed out of the Sin's lap to lay in the sand once more, but at the same time, he was very happy to no longer endure his presence.

Once free of the boy, Envy sauntered over to where Tii Len rested, not far from Yui Zhixiao and his obedient horse. Glancing ruefully at the sleeping girl, the homunculus veered towards the captive. He had been pretty tough to catch and bring back, but it was nothing Envy couldn't handle. He plopped down beside the raider boy, feeling thoroughly bored.

Yui peeked out from his eyelidsd, just as Envy glanced down at him again. The emerald-haired Sin grinned at the boy, who visibly paled.

"So you _are_ awake," crooned Envy, leaning down towards the boy. When he received no reply, Envy frowned. "So, Yui, how far d'you suppose we are from Amestris?"

The boy shrugged and swallowed dryly. "I do not understand," he replied when Envy glared.

With a frustrated sigh, Envy asked in the other language he knew, "Do you understand me now, you stupid boy?" Yui nodded. "Good. How far are we from Amestris?"

"At the rate you're travelling," he answered, struggling to sit up with his hands and feet bound, "Two days, maybe less." After a pause, he asked curiously, "How do you know this tongue?"

"None of your business," snapped Envy. "How many can your fat horse carry?"

Yui glared at Envy but didn't protest against the insult to his horse and, indirectly, himself. "He can carry _you_, O one who makes the sands sink."

The Sin growled angrily, but refrained from hitting the boy as he itched to do. "So … about a ton, then?"

Yui's eyes widened and he shook his head. He looked Envy up and down apprehensively, as if he couldn't believe how much he weighed. "No, my horse can carry two warriors or six children in weight. Any more and his back will break."

With a grin, Envy replied, "Well, looks like I won't have to kill you _after all_." Again, the colour in Yui' face drained. "What, did you think I was asking because I was just curious? Get real. We're out of food and the water's almost gone. I wasn't about to let another useless leech travel with us."

Hesitantly, Yui asked, "What will you do with me when you reach your desitnation?"

Envy shrugged, letting his smile slip off his face. "That has yet to be decided." Then, the Sin stood and wandered over to the horse, leaving Yui with his frightened thoughts.

As the sun set, a terribly cold wind blew from the North. It made the travellers breath cloud and it kicked up sand with a vengeance. But still they plodded on, with no resources to spare.

On the chocolate-coloured stallion that Yui had ridden with the other bandits was Saruwatari, Edward, and Yui himself. They rode hard against the icy wind, gaining ground fast.

Above them, riding on the wind itself, Tii Len sat atop a great serpent with wings. She clung to his emerald plates desperately, buffeted cruelly by the cutting gale. Yui had said ominously, before they rode out, that the wind was that of drastic change – for better of worse, none could tell.

By the time the wind died down, a curious thing had happened. Frost made the sand hard and it clung to everything. But the strangest thing they'd ever seen was floating in the sky. It appeared that the small mining town on the edge of the desert was hovering in the air, above the small hills of sand that snaked across the desert.

Yui had been so startled by the image that he had ordered his horse to stop too fast, nearly knocking the other riders off. He crossed his fingers and held them over his heart before kicking his horse into a gallop.

The troupe had to stop, despite their excitement, to allow Yui's horse – and Envy – to rest, just as the sun rose. They were so close to the town that the noise was carried to their ears before they could lay eyes on the town for themselves. The image of the town had disappeared as the sky became light again, but Yui was still searching for that queer image long into the day.

As Tii Len clambered off Envy's back, stiff from the cold and fear that she harboured in her heart; the fear of falling from the heights the Sin had soared to and that he would drop her just to see her fragile body shatter when it hit the ground. She watched, feeling sick to her stomach, as Envy's body twisted into the shape she had grown accustomed to. She didn't think she'd ever get use to seeing how his flesh receded and how his bones warped. The ground felt odd beneath her feet as she stumbled towards Yui and his horse. She didn't get far before Envy grabbed her wrist.

"We need to talk," he said.

Tii Len nodded, shivering in the chilly air, not use to the cooler temperature. "I know," she replied, allowing the Sin to pull her further away. Tii Len shared a quick look with Saruwatari, one that made the boy concerned, and rubbed her arms. Then, she faced forward, following after the emerald-haired, magenta-eyed one until they were well out of earshot.

"Cold?" asked the Sin, showing two pearly rows of sharp teeth with a grin.

"Yes. The wind was very icy, especially lower to the ground. I just haven't warmed up yet." Tii Len tried to smile to hide her fear. Ever since talking with Saruwatari, she'd been more ware of the homunculus. And _way_ more afraid of him.

Envy chuckled, pulling her close. "I can fix that," he purred.

"P-please don't," she stammered, leaning away. She whimpered pathetically when Envy pressed her to his chest anyway, winding his arms around her slender waist. She tried to push him away, but he held her firm.

"What do you know of alchemy?" asked the Sin, ignoring her protesting squeaks and struggling, his unnatural warmth from the transformation heating her skin.

"Only what my father taught me," she murmured, timidly resting her head on his shoulder and halting her fighting. "I know more about the purification arts – much more." This wasn't what she had been expecting he wanted to talk about, but Tii Len didn't say so.

Humming thoughtfully, Envy muttered to himself, "Perhaps Father would find her useful …" Then, he chuckled. "Can you cook? Wash dishes?"

Tii Len nodded, a little insulted. "Of course I can." Feeling his breath ghost over her skin sent goose bumps down her spine. She continued to tremble, but she was no longer cold. When he asked no more questions, presumably thinking, Tii Len asked her own. "So … You won't kill me?"

The Sin chuckled again, shaking his head slowly. "No. After all, I've heard that killing someone who loves you is bad luck."

Tii Len just nodded, scared to say anything lest she say something foolish. She felt relieved that the monster disguised as such a pretty man was to spare her life. Even if it meant working for the one he called Father; the creator of the homunculi. "Thank you," she whispered at last.

He began to gently stroke her dark, short-cropped, unkempt hair, and Tii Len couldn't help her mind from wandering. "Why do you like me?" he asked. "I _am_ a fiend after all."

"Do I _need_ a reason?" she shot back, quickly trying to formulate some kind of lie. There was absolutely no way she was going to tell him the reasons behind her affection. At least, that's what she was telling herself.

Envy grinned. "Well, _yeah_ actually. Unless you want me to get _angry_ again." Tii Len's face grew hot. "_Oh_. Maybe you _like_ it rough?"

"Stop it," she growled, embarrassed. "I'm not telling and no, I do _not_ 'like it rough.'"

"Well it certainly _can't _be for my personality. Is it because I'm just so damn sexy?"

Tii Len set her jaw and refused to answer. Even when, it a sudden burst of anger, he yanked at her hair.

"Fine," he pouted, "Then you _won't_ get a nice little kiss from me."

In spite of the warmth of the sun and the heat she was enveloped it, Tii Len shivered again. "Good," she said defiantly, lying through her teeth, "I don't want one." Her dark eyes glared into Envy's magenta pair. She hoped he couldn't see just how close she was to spilling her heart out for him. It was then Tii Len realized just how far she had fallen for him. Cold-hearted or not.

The fingers twined through her hair tightened their grip until it brought tears of pain to her eyes, but she still held his gaze. "You _don't_ do you?" His face was so close to her. "Then it's your lucky day." With that, he pushed her away so hard she tumbled head over heels as he strutted toward the three pairs of curious eyes.

_Have I hurt him_? She though sadly. As she sat up, she whispered to herself, "I'm sorry, but I'm just not ready to tell you yet."

* * *

Al had spent the night crying. When dawn's first rays crept into the living room, the boy believed that he had no more tears to shed; for his big brother, his childhood friend, for the soldiers dying in Xing. No more.

But he was wrong. Alphonse discovered that when Nichole stole into the room, sleepily rubbing at her eyes. When she saw the state Alphonse was in, she immediately pulled him into her arms, no questions asked.

When Izumi finally dragged herself out of bed, the sun was already high in the sky. Nichole gave Izumi a look of concern when she wearily poked her head into the living room, seeking to find the source of the sobbing. Seeing how upset Al still was, she sighed and left the pair.

As Izumi's footsteps died away, Al gently pulled out of Nichole's embrace. "I'm sorry," he muttered, eyes downcast.

"For what?"

"For … Being such a baby."

Nichole shook her head. "You're not, Al."

He didn't answer. If Nichole know what he was thinking, she probably would have thought differently. Al wished that he would have just died, that Ed hadn't gone after him – living without knowing almost 5 years of your memories was painful.


	10. Ten

A/N: I have a spare, so I can write! *Le heart* some points of view changed, since I _hate_ third person so much. Also, made a correction to the Brought Vs. Brother error, haha.

Disclaimer: Do not own (I'm lazy right now. I should be doing Social homework.)

* * *

"Purasu wo mainasu," I muttered ponderously. The green-haired one had told me that cryptically before we'd set out for Youswell. Ever since the few hours we'd stopped to let my horse rest, I had begun to feel increasingly more anxious.

I had realized long before that escaping was _impossible_. Even with a large gain in time, I would never get away from the one called Envy. Knowing this, my justifiable fear grew until I was shaking profoundly. And now we were only a few short seconds from when he made _the decision_.

Would I be allowed to live?

Or would he kill me?

As the sun reached its peak, the very last of the water was depleted. It was a _very_ good thing that the group was only four or five minutes from the town at the edge of the desert. Since crossing what people referred to as the 'heat belt' – the driest, most sparsely vegetated area – small little shrubs and cacti began to appear. It was next to a very prickly bush that Yui and his horse sat. The young warrior stared dejectedly at the ground.

Even before he heard Envy's approach, tears made the hard sand – no longer damp from the sudden frost, but still chilly – swim before Yui's eyes. His shoulders trembled gently as he wrestled with paralyzing fear.

"Hey," said Envy in the language they both understood. Yui looked up so quickly that it looked like a spasm. Envy chuckled, taking a seat in front of Yui casually. He didn't wait for a greeting in response, however, as he continued, "I think I've made a decision, Yui."

The boy swallowed dryly, suddenly unable to do anything anymore. "What will happen to me?" he managed to croak out.

Envy's teeth flashed in a sadistic grin. "You'll have to wait to find out."

* * *

Al stood beside Nichole, their hands only a few centimetres apart. If he wanted to – and he _did_ want to – he could have reached over and taken her hand. But he didn't. There were two reasons for this. One, he was in the presence of _Izumi_; and two, he was too much of a coward to.

So they waited in an awkward silence while Izumi peeked outside. "He's here," said Al's teacher.

Just as they took a step back, Izumi's husband, Surge Curtis, flung open the door. He didn't even notice the two children as he kissed his wife. It was evident that he had missed her. When he finally _did_ notice Nichole and Al, his face became grave.

"So," said Surge, "You got it back?"

Al nodded weakly, trying to smile. "Yeah, It … I don't know, I _suppose_ its nice to have it back …" Al blushed when Nichole laced her hand with his, but it gave him a little more courage to stand there and talk to Mr. Curtis.

"Hmm … Where's your brother?"

Al stared at the ground. Nichole squeezed Al's hand gently, to reassure him. "He's MIA," he whispered, his voice breaking before he fell silent. He struggled to keep his cool, to not cry.

"Oh." Surge caught on quickly, with help from a gesture from Izumi. "Well, it's good to see you again, Alphonse."

The boy nodded, letting his yet-to-be-cut hair veil his face. Nichole squeezed his hand again, and Al squeezed back. "Yeah," replied the boy meekly, his voice drifting through his dirty-blonde veil. "Thanks. It's … Great to be back."

* * *

The insufferable heat was gone, but the sun was more merciless than before. And somewhere between Ish'dara'minyuh and now, Ed's cloak had disappeared. He suspected that Envy was responsible, but he didn't say so. It was bad enough he'd snapped once already.

He lay under the sparse shade of a collection of prickly shrubs and cacti with his flesh arm curled under his head as a pillow. The automail port was burning Ed's tender flesh, but he ignored it. It wouldn't be long before the sun got lower and they could move on. Only a few scant hours before Ed was back, able to be around other Amestrians.

The black fabric of his sleeveless T-shirt was also uncomfortably hot, and his black leather pants felt like their own personal hell, but, like everything else, Ed ignored it.

Until he felt a curious hand pat his knee. Ed yelped in surprise and pain as the hot leather burnt his skin. He glared daggers at the offender as he drew his legs into the shade his body made as he sat up.

"What the _hell_," growled the blond in his strange deaf voice, "Was that for?"

Envy shrugged and sat next to Ed, who glowered at the ground angrily. 'When are we leaving?' signed Edward. He didn't bother looking at Envy for an answer; he already knew. Ed also knew that asking the question and not paying attention to the answer made Envy very angry.

In truth, Edward _wanted_ Envy to get pissed off. Edward didn't know when it had happened, but he'd begun to take pleasure from the Sin's anger. He just didn't like the beatings that followed.

Edward expected to be cuffed upside the head. Instead, he felt the Sin place a kiss on his cheek. Alarmed, Ed turned to him and nearly had a heart attack. The face that stared at him was the very last face – more accurately the _body_, since he didn't recognize the face itself – he'd _ever_ expect to see.

"Winry ..?" choked Ed, fighting for breath. The air seemed too thick, too hard to inhale. The blonde's breathing became choked little half-sobs as his eyes filled with tears, making the world swim.

'Edward,' she said with her hands. 'What's wrong?'

Then Ed realized that her eyes were the wrong colour. They were purple, not blue. "Bastard," he whispered, trying to move away from the Sin.

Envy grinned, crawling into Edward's lap before he could get away. Edward stiffened as the Sin, still pretending to be Winry, fisted the front of his sleeveless T-shirt and pulled him close to 'her' face. She wiped the tears from Ed's lashes before leaning in and kissing him fiercely.

Edward shoved with all his might and stood, anger making him want to kill the Sin, but Winry's face and body making him too afraid.

"You sick freak!" screamed Edward, grabbing fistfuls of his own hair in frustration. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he backed away and doubled over. A feral roar burst from deep in Ed's chest, scaring even himself – despite not being able to hear it. "What is your _problem_!? God _damn_ you!" Ed sank to his knees, doubled over so far his forehead was touching the sand.

Satisfied with Ed's reaction, Envy turned back to his 'cute' form and sauntered off to entertain himself elsewhere while Ed dealt with his depression.

* * *

"I'm sorry," said Alphonse, staring at the ground. "I really am, but … I have to go. I need to know if big brother is alive …"

Izumi just nodded. "I understand," she said softly.

"Could you tell Nichole for me?"

"Why can't you just tell her yourself?" asked Izumi, puzzled.

Alphonse hesitated, tucking his hair behind his ear. "I ... Just don't want her to get hurt."

"If you leave without telling her, you'll only end up hurting her more, Alphonse."

The boy smiled apologetically. "I know, but if she decided to come, I wouldn't be able to stop her, and … If anything happened to her …" Al let his sentence hang, not wanting to finish it in case he jinxed himself.

"You wouldn't be able to forgive yourself," finished Izumi.

With a nod, Alphonse hoisted his small pack onto his shoulders. "Exactly." He hesitated one last time before turning to leave. "I'll come back. I promise."

Then, Alphonse left.

* * *

Tii Len was alone. She lay on her back with her hands leaved behind her head, staring at the sky absently. Occasionally, her eyes drifted shut, but they always opened after a few moments.

She felt so incredibly tired, having gotten use to sleeping at high noon and travelling at midnight. It was hard to concentrate on her surroundings while fighting off sleep. It was because of her weary state that she failed to notice Envy's approach.

When his shadow fell across her, she sighed. The last person she wanted to talk to was standing over her. "Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked politely. It was hard to keep herself from yawning, but she managed – somehow.

The Sin smiled. "Sure," he purred, sitting next to her. When Tii Len sighed again, Envy frowned. "What?" he asked indignantly.

"You're very exhausting to deal with, and I'm tired," answered Tii Len with brutal honesty. She wasn't in the mood for pleasantries.

"Oh," muttered the homunculus, a note of disappointment creeping into his voice. Tii Len suspected that it was fake.

"If you're trying to make me feel guilty," she muttered, "It won't work; I have no conscience."

Envy chuckled and lay on his side, facing Tii Len. "Since when?" he inquired. He reached over the very short gap between them to run his fingers through the girl's short-cropped, dark brown hair.

Tii Len swatted his hand away, but he persisted. "Since I met _you_," she said in annoyance. She instantly regretted it – proving that she did indeed have a conscience – but refused to admit it.

Envy winced dramatically. "Harsh," he muttered, shaking his head. He brushed his hand through her hair once more before trailing his fingers down the length of her jaw.

"Why must you _touch_ me?" Tii Len turned her face from the Sin to hide the blush tingeing her cheeks. When Envy only chuckled and moved closer, she glowered at the horizon. She now wished she'd stayed closer to where Ed or Saruwatari and Yui were.

Tii Len tensed as Envy draped his arm around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder. She also regretted taking off her outer shirt to bask in the sun.

"You didn't answer my question," she growled angrily, the blush returning.

"Do you really, _really_, want to know?"

"Yes, _please_," she answered, slightly sarcastic.

"Really, really?"

"Really, really."

"Are you sure you want to know?"

Tii Len growled, "Yes!" angrily. She could feel envy smirk against her collar bone.

"Well, I suppose it's because you're so _irresistible_," he replied.

Making a noise of disgust, Tii Len shook her head, despite the new blush on her face.

"Am I embarrassing you?" asked Envy as he traced invisible shapes on her side. It made butterflies dance in her stomach.

"As if," Tii Len replied.

Envy chuckled again. "So, are you ever going to tell me why you like me?"

Tii Len shook her head. "Not … Yet."

"What if I asked nicely?" Another head-shake. "Begged on my hands and knees?"

"No."

"What if I tortured it out of you?" Despite the light, joking, tone he used, Tii Len knew that the threat was very real.

She hesitated before replying softly, "No, Envy. I'm _not_ going to tell you until I'm ready."

"Until you're _ready?_" Envy was clearly surprised. And annoyed. Maybe even angry.

"Please," whispered Tii Len, "Please don't be mad at me …"

"Why shouldn't I?" Envy's voice was no more than a low growl. "You keep refusing to answer me and now you're making up excuses. I'm starting to think you're only _pretending_ to like me." After a moment, he added, "I'm starting to think I need to _dispose_ of you."

A small whimper escaped Tii Len's throat at the Sin's words as fear drained her face of colour. She turned her face from Envy as tears rolled down her cheeks. For a while, neither of them spoke. It was Envy who broke the Silence.

"Are you crying?" His voice no longer sounded angry, to Tii Len's relief.

"No," lied Tii Len, her voice tight.

"Don't lie to me," grumbled the Sin, propping himself up with his elbow. He gently turned Tii Len's face to his.

She tried to wipe away the tears, but Envy quickly grabbed her wrist. Glaring half-heartedly, Tii Len tried to snatch her hand back, but the Sin held fast.

Then, he leaned in. Tii Len's breath hitched and her eyes fluttered closed, pushing a few more tears from the corners of her eyes. He brushed his lips but the wet trails left from her tears, then kissed both of the girl's eyelids.

"I'm sorry," he said gently, releasing Tii Len's wrist. Then he sat up and crossed his legs.

"Sorry? For what?" Tii Len wiped her face with the back of her hand and sat up too. She hesitantly reached over to put her hand on his, but chickened out at the last moment. Instead, she laced her fingers under her knees.

"Forget it," muttered Envy. He sighed softly and nibbled on his lower lip – something Tii Len had never seen him do. Without warning, he grinned at her. Then he pounced.

I squeak of surprise and fear managed to escape before Envy's mouth covered hers. He had both her wrists pinned beside her head. Despite the rough way in which he took the kiss, it was surprisingly gentle. Envy smirked as he pulled away.

"_Please_ tell me?" A cute little fake pout erased the smirk.

"Er …" Tii Len's cheeks heated up belatedly. "Promise that you won't hurt me if I tell you."

Envy nodded gravely. "I promise."

With a sigh that clearly meant she didn't fully trust him, Tii Len said, "Fine." Envy smiled genuinely and it nearly made Tii Len's heart skip a beat. "I … I know you're not a monster. You've shown … Well, you've been nice to us. Sometimes. To a point. But … I can tell you're capable of feeling more than anger or jealously. And … I dunno, you … You're attractive to me." When finished speaking, Tii Len turned her face away, afraid. She waited for some kid of angry response, but none came.

"Attractive … In what way?" asked the Sin finally.

"Well … " Tii Len hesitated, then ploughed on. She dug herself this deep, pushing for a little more couldn't really hurt. "You're beautiful and intelligent. You're strong." It was a simple statement of facts, as if it were as obvious as the sand that lay beneath them. "And," she added, "I like guys who are the 'villain' type."

Envy chuckled. "So you think I'm evil?"

"I didn't say that."

"You _do_ realize that this isn't what I _really_ look like, right?" Envy released Tii Len's wrists to run his fingers along her jaw, down her neck, and back up again.

"Of course," she said, closing her eyes. Now that she'd told Envy what he wanted to know, she felt uncannily weary. It was hard to just keep talking. His fingers didn't help matters much.

Envy picked up on her sudden change quickly. "Get some rest," he said, giving her a peck on the cheek. "We'll start moving again in two hours; an hour before the sun sets."

Tii Len nodded with a small smile. "Thanks."

* * *

Al had hoped that his departure would go smoothly. He never expected the trains to be shut down still. Sitting dejectedly on one of the stations benches, Al was contemplating returning to Izumi's when a very frantic Nichole barrelled into him.

She clung to the dazed boy as if she'd never see him again – which very well could have been, had the trains been running. Nichole's body trembled with suppressed tears as she buried her face in the boy's shoulder, both her arms firmly wrapped about Al's neck.

"Nichole?" asked Alphonse as he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her waist.

"How _could_ you!?" she shouted, her voice muffled by the sweater Al wore. Nichole then proceeded to punch Al's bony form.

"H-hey! Calm down!" Al winced as a well- aimed fist enarly fractured his collar bone. He grabbed both of Nichole's wrists, drawing a halt to the physical abuse that Nichole was heaping out.

"Why would you leave without telling me?" whispered the girl, clearly able to control her temper now. She yanked her wrists from Al and stood. The she smacked him.

"I-I … I'm sorry Nichole," apologized Al. "_Please_, forgive me. I just … Didn't want anything to happen to you." He knew how weak his apologies were, but hoped Nichole could forgive him anyway.

"So you think I'm weak?"

Al winced. "No, I—"

"Shut it, Al. I don't want your excuses for being a coward." Nichole wiped her eyes. "Just … Come home, okay? Mr. Curtis is making dinner."

With a hesitant nod, Al said, "Sure. Sounds good."

* * *

The group of five stood, stunned, as they surveyed the town before them. Youswell, the peaceful coal-mining town, lay in ruin. As far as anyone could see, there were no bodies, but what was the say they weren't hidden in some obstinate hiding spot?

Edward gaped in horror. Envy was grinning. Besides the two, no one else showed much interest in the destruction.

"Maybe we should keep going?" suggested Tii Len softly, speaking twice and using her hands, translating for everyone.

Envy shrugged, looking at Edward. The golden haired, golden eyed boy bowed his head, sighing. "Yes," he muttered, "Let's go."

The group moved on, with Ed in the lead, followed by Saruwatari, Tii Len, Yui and his horse, and finally Envy. The emerald-haired Sin lagged behind the rest, trudging through the destruction until Yui was far enough behind before drawing level with his captive.

Envy grinned at the warrior boy, noticing the hope shining in his eyes. "Have you figured it out yet?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

Yui began to nibble his lower lip. "I … don't know. You haven't done away with me yet, but … I get the feeling that you do not wish me to leave at this moment."

With a chuckle, Envy slung his arm over Yui's shoulders. "You're a smart kid. Too bad."

Tii Len chose that moment to turn around. "What are you talking about?" she inquired curiously. She spoke only to Envy.

Switching back to English for Tii Len's merit, he replied, "The deal I made with him."

"What deal?" Tii Len fell in step with the two. She wore a faint smile on her lips.

"The deal in which I decide if he goes home _riding_ his horse, or _tied_ to his horse."

Tii Len paused, falling behind. With a frown, she shuffled quickly to catch up. "What does that mean?" She glanced at Yui's pale, wide-eyed face and gasped. "You _wouldn't_!"

Envy flashed a cocky smile. "You bet I would."

All the colour drained from Tii Len's face, making Yui look like he were blushing in comparison. "Y-you aren't, are you? You won't really kill him … Right?"

She received no answer, only another look that said _you should know me better than that._

"Please Envy," pleaded Tii Len, "_Please_ let him go …"

Yui finally spoke up, speaking in Tii Len's native language to thwart Envy. "Distract him. I … If I can get a weapon, I should be able to get away …"

Tii Len shook her head. "He's too fast. Let me try to talk him out of it."

Envy growled in frustration. "What the fuck are you two chatting about? Not helping Yui _escape_, I hope." Envy's arm dropped from Yui's shoulders.

Tii Len shook her head again. "No," she said, switching back to English.

The Sin glared angrily at the girl. "Don't lie to me. You're terrible at it."

With a humble, submissive bow of her head, Tii Len mumbled, "Sorry." She squeaked softly when Envy took hold of her hand.

"You're afraid of me," said the Sin, grinning. "I can feel your pulse."

The girl didn't bother arguing. She focused solely on making her racing heart slow down and for a way to dissuade Envy's plan for murder.

"Why can't you let him go home?"

"Because I don't want to."

Tii Len ducked her head as she muttered, "because you envy him," expecting to pay for the comment.

Instead, Envy chuckled. "That may be part of it." Then, Envy let go of Tii Len's hand, twisting and delivering a kick to Yui's side. Caught off guard, Yui was sent flying into what use to be a wall of a building – and clear through to the other side.

Paralyzed with fear, Tii Len could only watch as Envy casually stalked up to the stunned boy and wrapped his hands around his throat. It was obvious that he wanted Yui to die slowly.

"No," croaked Tii Len, suddenly unable to draw enough air into her lungs. As Envy lifted Yui by the throat from the rubble effortlessly, Tii Len was able to breathe deep enough to let loose an ear-splitting scream. Her hands flew to her mouth to stop the second scream from unleashing itself as Envy glared over his shoulder. His eyes were filled with murderous desire.

"Stop," she moaned as she rushed to the Sin's side. Tii Len tried, unsuccessfully, to pry Envy's hands from the frightened Yui's throat.

Pathetic little gasps came from Yui as the Sin finally let go. Saruwatari and Edward were no where to be found as Tii Len looked frantically for help from the two.

Tii Len began to ask Yui questions in her native tongue as he coughed and spluttered, trying to force air through his nearly-crushed windpipe. It was obvious how frightened he was.

When Envy's blood lust had clamed a little, and when Yui could breathe again, Tii Len glared over her shoulder. "You're horrible sometimes," she said under her breath. She didn't expect Envy to wrap his arms around her waist, but he did.

With a chuckle, he answered, "I can be _worse_, too." Then, with one hand still around Tii Len, the Sin plunged his hand through Yui's chest, the human flesh yielding easily to the monsters strength.

As blood rained on the girl, she felt Envy place a kiss on her cheek.

Then she fainted.


	11. Eleven

* * *

A/N: Holy crap. Seriously, my wrists hurt from all that typing. I almost didn't finish before I had to go Rugby practice. Thank you for the reviews! I really appreciate them. (And no, they can never sound too harsh.) And I'm really sorry I broke the flow, but that's how its been in my notebook for almost a year now … And I have no passion to go back and fix it. (I will, however, finish writing the ending.)

Disclaimer: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist, and I'm not writing this for profit – just the pure and simple joy of writing. Technically, I've stopped writing and now I'm just transferring what's in my notebook to the computer, but still. I have nothing to sue for.

* * *

Being out of the desert was wonderful. No more endless sand dunes, insufferable heat, and, best of all, no more travelling by night.

Edward watched curiously as Saruwatari flinched.

'What?' asked Ed, feeling a little frustrated. He masked it with the relief he felt with coming back to Amestris, and smiled.

Saruwatari shook his head sadly. 'I think our friend Envy is disposing of his prisoner,' he stated simply.

Edward's golden eyes widened in horror. He turned to run back to their companions, but quickly realized that he didn't know where they were. He and Saruwatari had gone ahead and had made quite a gap between themselves and the Sin. He turned back to Saruwatari, who flinched again.

'We have to help them,' signed the blond desperately.

'I don't know if we can.'

'We have to try,' Edward grabbed Saruwatari's arm and began to drag him back to where they came from. He froze when he rounded the corner. He was too late.

* * *

Something was horrendously wrong. Al knew it as soon as he and Nichole returned. The house was eerily quiet, despite the lights being on. Nichole had her hand in Al's as they curiously surveyed the living room, then the kitchen, the guest room, the bathroom, and the laundry room.

They were both reluctant to check the Curtis's room, but they did. Nichole fainted when she saw the amount of blood that covered the bed, the floor, and even a little of the wall.

Al nearly did the same as Nichole, but he managed to make the room stop swaying before he could. He gently shook Nichole awake and led her out of the room, then went to the phone.

His voice drifted across the room, despite his soft, shaking words. "Hello," he said, "Could you … Yes, it's Al. I'm doing fine, thank you. Yes. Is Izumi Curtis there?"

There was a pause before Al hummed something to himself. Then he thanked the man on the other end and hung up, turning to see Nichole's eager face.

She asked, "Do you know where she is, then?"

Alphonse shook his head woefully. "The doctor said she hasn't been in to see her, then told me to check the hospital."

"Come on, let's go then," replied Nichole, grabbing the wide-eyed boy and dragging him to the front door.

* * *

Tii Len started awake, tearing herself from unconsciousness when the loud snap of a door reached her ears. She struggled fervently against the strong arms that carried her. When she realized that it wasn't Envy, Tii Len calmed down and sat on the abandoned bed.

"Are you alright?" Saruwatari gently placed a hand to the teenage girl's forehead. He spoke their native language.

"Yes," she rasped, her voice sounding over used. Her gaze dropped to the floor, sandy and rough, and she swallowed dryly to force back her tears. For a while, Saruwatari and Tii Len were silent. Then she said, "He killed Yui."

"Yes," said Saruwatari softly. "Envy murdered the boy."

Tii Len stifled a horrified sob behind her hand. "I'm so afraid. That boy was younger than I – what's to stop that monster from killing _me_?"

Just then, the door opened with a squeal, and Edward entered. He looked surprised to see Tii Len awake already. 'There's a military camp set up by the western side of this place,' he signed. 'They'll help us go where we need to.'

With a sudden eagerness, Tii Len sprung from the bed and raced to Ed's side.

'Let's go then,' said Saruwatari with his hands, following.

* * *

Alphonse hated hospitals. They smelled funny – not funny _haha,_ funny strange; like death and sickness, ready to reach into your own heart and wrench away your life. He and Nichole were waiting for news about Izumi in the waiting area. The chairs were padded, but, even so, it was uncomfortable in the hospital.

They must have waited for at least two hours before one of the nurses fetched them. Nichole had her head resting on Al's shoulder and her fingers were laced with his when the timid-looking girl with the clipboard asked if they still wanted to see Izumi Curtis.

"She's just come out of surgery and is a little doped up on drugs still. You can have ten minutes with her," explained the nurse, leading Nichole and Al down the hall. "After that, she need to rest." The nurse pushed open a door for the two young adults, and then disappeared.

The hospital room was quiet, even as the door clattered shut. Izumi had one arm over her eyes and the other in her husband's hand. She was trembling, that was plain.

"S-sensei?" asked Al, coming to stand beside Surge.

"I'm dying," croaked Izumi, lifting her arm and smiling ruefully at her ex-student. "I'm sorry," she said, wiping at her eyes.

"N-no," whimpered Al, his blue eyes widening in horror. Izumi never cried – what was happening to her?

Nichole, feeling out of place, just fidgeted by the door.

* * *

Ed didn't know what he'd been expecting, but it most definitely wasn't being shot at. He'd done everything right – held his hands up and away from his body. Kept the silver chain of his pocket watch in plain view, walked slowly – but still they shot at him. Of course, he didn't hear the warning shot, so when a hot chuck of lead planted itself in his left shoulder, he turned and fled, back to where Tii Len, Saruwatari, and Envy waiting. He still couldn't believe Yui was gone.

With a soft groan of pain, the blond sand to his knees in front of them, blood trickling down his arm. Tii Len stifled a gasp, feeling faint at the sight.

When Saruwatari knelt beside Edward, undoubtedly to pry the bullet from his shoulder, Tii Len tuned away, coming face to face with Envy. Impulsively, she went to his open arms as Ed loud out a feral yowl of pain.

His arms snaked around her waist and she rested her head on the Sin's shoulder, trembling. Suddenly, Envy's arms didn't feel so safe, not after Yui. A brief flash of memory, a splash of blood, almost made her faint yet again. No, definitely not safe.

"What's the matter?" asked the magenta-eyed one, one hand tracing the girl's spine as he watched the strange hobo-boy administer first-aid to Ed. "You're trembling like a frightened kitten."

"I _am_ frightened … terrified," whispered the girl, feeling unable to make intelligent decisions – such as keeping the fact that she was scared from Envy. It was too easy to twist such a thing around.

The Sin frowned. "Of what?" he asked. "Being shot?"

Tii Len shook her head, now finding it hard to breathe normally. "No," she gasped, tears pricking at her eyes. "I'm afraid of you, of what you can do."

Humming thoughtfully, Envy tightened his hold a little, earning him a soft, stifled whimper from the girl in his arms. "Then, why," asked the sin in a whisper, "Are you in my arms?"

Edward was talking with Saruwatari, both forced to use their hands. It was something about fighting his way through the barricade or something. Once and a while, Ed would glance at Envy, and Tii Len suspiciously, but obviously relieved that Envy had found someone else to torture. Envy pretended to be interested in what was being communicated.

The young Xing girl remained silent, nearly hyperventilating. She hesitantly tried to push away from the Sin, but a low growl made her freeze and tremble harder. After a moment, the Sin dropped his hands to his sides and Tii Len scrambled over to where Saruwatari and Edward were conversing silently.

* * *

The plan was simple; go around or go through. No one knew what was going on, except maybe Envy, but he didn't look too happy about the soldiers or the state of Youswell, so it was pretty safe to assume he wasn't in on the plot.

Ed would lead with Saruwatari close behind, on the ground. Envy would watch from above, and when it was safe, he would lead me down another route to meet up with the others.

I was _not_ happy.

I was forced to watch as Ed and Saruwatari – my last lines to sanity – darted down the dark alleys of Youswell. Envy gave me a peck on the cheek before leaping into the air and disappearing over a badly-worn rooftop. With a sigh, I sat myself down to wait and to listen.

For a while, I could only hear the pounding of my heart and my own ragged breathing. Then, gunshots filled the air, sounding way too close for comfort. A small scream pushed its way to my lips when a bullet zipped by, grazing the wall I was leaning again, but I quickly covered my mouth to stop the scream from being uttered. It was luck that I still had my hands clamped over my mouth when Envy darted out from the shadows, wild-eyed and blood-lusting. He startled me so badly that I smacked my head into the wall and bit through my tongue.

I wasn't surprised when crimson blood poured from my mouth and down my chin and pain flared from the goose egg on my head and gouges in my tongue. With a gurgling whimper, I shrunk back against the wall when Envy's furious eyes snapped to where I rested.

I could have been imagining it, but I could have sworn his gaze softened for a brief second. Even so, fear washed over me and he scuttled over, dodging bullets, and scooped me up, then darted to the side as the soldier firing rounded the corner and took aim.

"Shit," hissed the emerald-haired man when a bullet planted itself in his leg. "Run when I tell you to, little kitten," he growled, dropping to one knee and shielding me with his body as the soldier advanced, emptying his handgun into Envy's back.

He dropped me on the ground when I nodded, his body, with a crackle of energy, rearranged itself into the spitting image of the young man shooting at us, complete with a gun.

"W-what the hell _are_ you?" The soldier backed away, fumbling with his gun, trying to reload while Envy straightened and turned to the other. The look I glimpsed in Envy's eyes made me swallow a mouthful of blood. "What in God's name ..?" The soldier froze, realizing that he was looking at a replica of himself.

"Go around the outskirts of Youswell and try to avoid the guys with guns, Tii Len," ordered Envy in a low voice, half-turning his head towards me without taking his eyes off the soldier whose face he'd stolen. For a moment, it didn't register with me, then he snapped, "Go!"

I scrambled up and bolted to the left, down the alley I had watched Edward and Saruwatari disappear down. Running blindly, twice I barrelled right into Amestrian soldiers and came to several dead ends. By the time I found myself outside the town, my heart was ready to burst. Feeling faint, I collapsed in a heap behind a low wall that was concealed by the sparse vegetation on the edge of the Great Desert.

The sky seemed to spin, darkening around the edges with little bursts of light coming from nowhere when I tried to pull myself into a sitting position. My tongue felt like it had swollen up four times its regular size and it was throbbing painfully. On top of all that, there was a dull keeping in my ears. Unable to stop myself, I was soon weeping silently, curled into a fetal-position on my side.

_What else could go wrong in my life?_ I asked myself, over and over again, waiting for the gunshots to die down so I could collect myself and go looking for the others. _What else?_

I was about to find out.


End file.
